Iron Maiden
by Ladyhawke Legend
Summary: Movie-verse. How will Tony Stark react when he finds out he is not the only hero out there with a suit of protective armor and finds out the wearer is a woman? Iron Man/Witchblade crossover. Please review! Chapter 20 now up! Finally finished!
1. Chapter 1: A Chance Meeting

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the rights to anything Iron Man, that right goes to Marvel Studios/Comics. I don't own any of the rights to anything dealing with the Witchblade, that right goes to Top Cow Productions. The only thing I claim as mine is any original characters I created and the plot of this particular story. No copy right infringement is meant. This is for fun not for money.**

**Rating: T for language and a little romance.**

**A/N: I thought I would start this chapter out with a bang and then explain things in more detail in chapter 2. For those of you not familiar with the Witchblade series, an explanation about it will be coming up in the next chapter. I couldn't resist this crossover after seeing the Iron Man movie. This is my first Iron Man story, so I hope it goes well. It has been fun to write, so I hope it's fun to read. Please read and ****review. ****I love feedback, and it does help me improve my writing. Thanks a bunch. Anyway, please enjoy. **

**I'd like to add a big thanks to Nyeht, whose wonderful writing inspired this story, and her encouragement to post it is really appreciated.**

**- Ladyhawke Legend**

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**Chapter 1**

**A Chance Meeting**

Tony Stark stared at the beautiful woman in front of him, but not because of her exquisite loveliness. He had walked in on her in the middle of her attempt pilfer some of Hugh Hefner's fine jewelry and watches. She was a small and trim brunette with nice, shapely legs. The thieving woman looked back at him like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. Her eyes, he thought, were baby blue, but in the dark of the awards room, he wasn't totally sure. Her hair was up in a French twist, showing her elegant face more fully than if it had been down.

"Am I interrupting something?" he asked casually, still standing in the doorway.

The brunette had about four diamond rings in her right hand, three gold watches in her left, and a small penlight slash screwdriver in her mouth. She was dressed in a curve hugging, tight, little, black dress that was low-cut and had finger width straps. She was even wearing absurdly high heels that made her legs look long and smooth. She had some kind of black, latex type material gloves covering her hands. A flash of recognition hit Tony as he continued to stare at her; she seemed slightly familiar.

The woman didn't answer him. She appeared to pull herself together, recovering from the shock of being discovered. She was standing behind a dark wooden display case. There were four more like it placed throughout the room. Tony saw her glance to a door on the other side of the room and then to a window down to her left a little ways. She was going to try and make a run for it. Well, he would just have to stop her then, wouldn't he?

Tony didn't miss the sight of the rings, watches, and the penlight sliding swiftly into a small, sleek, black purse the stunning beauty had with her. He also noticed she herself wore a finely crafted piece of jewelry around her right wrist. It was a shiny silver bracelet, twisted into some wonderfully eye-catching design. A red ruby glimmered in the center of the piece. It struck Tony as odd that a woman wearing fine jewelry like that would be stealing petty items from Hugh Hefner. Maybe she was a disgruntled, ex-bunny sneaking in here to take back items she thought she was due from the Playboy mogul.

As Tony was musing on this, the woman made her move. She was extremely quick, but so was Tony Stark. He made it passed the display cases and to the second door a split second before the mystery woman did and blocked her escape. He reached out and grabbed her upper arms in his hands to hold her in place.

"Not a wise move, Stark," the woman hissed at him as she brought her hands and lower arms up and through his to snap his grip lose. Both the use of his name and her martial art skill surprised him. The thief used his momentary distraction against him, grabbing him by his left arm and turning with him to flip him head over heels on to his ass. She had done this with little effort, like some one who knew what they were doing, like a pro; this was no disgruntled, ex-bunny.

"I'd stay down, Stark," the woman warned him. "That is if you don't want that fine tux of yours ruined."

Instead of heeding the warning, Tony struck out at her and grabbed her left arm and flipped her head over heels and onto her back, reversing their positions. He pinned her under him, not wanting to give her another chance to strike back at him. She writhed and bucked under him, trying desperately to free herself. Luckily, they had missed the display cases, creating hardly any noise or mess.

"Get off me," she growled at him.

"Not gonna happen," he told her. When it was obvious she wasn't going to dislodge him, she finally stopped struggling. She just stared at him, her Caribbean blue eyes boring into his. A sudden warm flush rushed through him as he stared back at her. She _was _very attractive and she smelled delightful. Her eyes burned with a cool fire that sent tingles down his spine.

"Now," he said when he found his voice, "you know my name, but I don't know yours, which puts me at a distinct disadvantage. Before we go any further, I think I should know who you are." His words were laced with double meaning. He couldn't help himself; she was just so enchanting.

Violet Devonshire was fighting a deep-seeded panic down in the depths of herself. She had been doing everything she could in her power to avoid any contact with Tony Stark all evening, but the Witchblade on her right wrist still had found a way to get them to literally run into each other. She should have known when the Witchblade hadn't argued with her about her choice of a heist that something was wrong. Hell, it had probably planted the suggestion in her mind in the first place. And now looking into Stark's dark brown eyes, she felt she could easily get lost in them. What she saw in his eyes was not what she had been expecting. She thought she they would be hard, cold, heartless, cunning, and arrogant. Instead, they were warm, inviting, soft, kind, and full of life. This caught her completely off guard.

Being this close to him and smelling his strong, masculine cologne was making her dizzy and she knew she was holding her breathe. "Cat got your tongue?" he asked playfully.

Violet struggled to not say her name. She couldn't let him know who she really was; it was too dangerous and too tempting. "Sara," she finally blurted out the boldfaced lie, using the previous Witchblade's possessor's name instead of her own.

"Well, that's a start," Tony commented and smiled charmingly at her, lighting up his eyes even more with a soft light. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Sara," he greeted her.

Violet snorted in response. "I bet it is," she said more hostilely than she had intended.

"Do I know you?" he suddenly asked. "Did I do something to you in another life or something? What's with all this hostility towards me?" He tried to quickly scan his memory of all the women he'd been with, searching for her face. The old Tony Stark had been something of a womanizer and skirt chaser. He still had those tendencies, but his whole view of life had changed recently. He hoped she wasn't a scorned ex-lover or something; that would be very awkward. He felt he had seen her before, but where he could not say.

"It's nothing like that," Violet replied. "I just don't like you or your kind. Besides, who doesn't know _you_? You're all over the news almost twenty-four seven, Stark." She almost spat the words.

"My kind?" he asked feeling a little defensive and offended.

"You know the rich, irresponsible, arrogant, egotistical, playboy boy type," Violet clarified for him.

"Oh, that kind," was all Tony could say. He had been very much that type, but not anymore. Then he said, "You shouldn't judge a book by its cover."

Violet laughed scornfully at his remark. "How cliché," she scoffed. "Couldn't you come up with any better come back than that? I thought you were some kind of genius or something."

Tony fought the annoyance he felt at her condescending tone. At one time he would have deserved all that, but she had no idea what he had been through just a short time ago. "I _am_ when it comes to building and designing things," he finally decided to say.

"Yeah, especially weapons," Violet pointed out. "So what's new 'Merchant of Death'?" She used the name some in the media had given him because of his company's business in weapons design and manufacturing.

"You know what? I don't have to take any of this crap from you, or anybody else for that matter," Tony said angrily now. "I caught you stealing from Hugh Hefner. What do you think the press will do to you when I turn you in?"

That shut Violet up right away, and she broke eye contact with him. She started to thrash against him again, wanting fiercely to get loose. He only pinned her tighter with his body weight, pressing harder into her. The more she squirmed and wiggled, the more he held on to her. She couldn't be arrested; that would be very, very bad. The man that was hunting her would find her for sure if that happened. Violet finally spoke, but very softly this time, "Please don't turn me, Stark, please."

Tony could tell her plea was earnest. He really wasn't going to call the police or Hefner's security on her, but she had managed to hit his sore spot, so he was going to see just how desperate she really was. "And what will you do for me? How will you repay me for my silence?"

Violet was having none of that, jail or no jail. "You total son of a bit--," she tried to yell at him, but a voice out in the hallway made them both freeze and silenced her. "Somebody's coming," she then whispered to Tony. "What are you going to do?" She was completely at his mercy. The damned Witchblade did not awaken to help her. It put her in this stupid situation and now it was choosing to leave her alone to deal with it – typical.

"That depends upon you, my dear," Tony told her, purposely being cryptic. The voices in the hallway grew louder and louder. Whoever it was, they were almost to the awards room door; they would be there in seconds.

Without much warning Tony stood and pulled Violet promptly to her feet. He did it with enough pull and force that it pushed him backward into one of the room's walls. Still holding onto Violet, Tony then drew her to him, his arms sliding around her waist. Before Violet could stop him, he placed his lips soundly on hers, and drew her arms around his own waist. Violet stiffened and went rigid in his embrace.

Undeterred, Tony brushed his lips across hers time and time again, not forcefully, but very, very gently. His thin and well-trimmed moustache and van dyke style beard tickling her chin and cheeks. Violet thought she would feel revulsion from so intimate a touch with Tony Stark, but she didn't; in fact, it sent spirals of desire throughout her body and made her shiver slightly. Tony took this as a favorable sign and pressed his luck by making the kiss more demanding, more heated.

The door to the awards room opened then, and a surprised female voice exclaimed, "Oh dear, sorry. We'll come back later." Tony heard the door close once again and the footsteps carried away from the room after a moment. That didn't stop him from deepening the kiss with the alluring woman in his arms, however. She was now responding most favorably to him; kissing back with equal enthusiasm and interest.

Violet felt the Witchblade stir as Stark drew her deeper into their passionate kiss. The ancient artifact gave off a very encouraging vibe for her to continue. Violet also felt the vibe pass into Stark through her. His hands slid up her bare back and pulled her closer to him. Violet could feel his warm, lean, and strong body melt into hers. The sensations it produce were very pleasurable. She let one of her gloved hands move up to run through his dark hair.

Both of them became so caught up into the moment that they didn't realize someone else had come to the awards room door and opened it. "Tony, I should have known you'd be off doing something like this," a definitely strong and male voice chastised Stark. "I'm not supposed to let you out of my sight, but the moment my back is turned for a second, you've gone after some woman. You can't do that, man."

Tony startled by this, broke the kiss and looked in the direction of the voice. "Rhodey, buddy, this isn't what it looks like, I swear," he tried to explain.

"Oh you're not making out with a beautiful brunette?" Lt. Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes, and Tony's best friend, queried.

Violet was shocked and horrified by her behavior. She grew angry at herself and at Stark for putting her in this position. He wasn't going to get away with it and she was out of here, like right now. Taking Tony by surprise, she pushed him hard into the wall behind him, making sure he hit his head squarely against it. His impact made a dull thudding sound, and Tony gasped at the sharp pain he felt. His vision went blurry and he collapsed to a heap on the floor.

Too shocked to react, Rhodey just stood there for a moment, stunned. Violet took the opportunity to run for the second door out of the awards room and to her freedom. She realized she had dropped her purse and scrambled to retrieve it. If she left it, everything she had gone through tonight wouldn't be worth it. Then she was gone in a matter of seconds, not daring to look back. She had to get as far from Tony Stark as she could. He had made her weak and made her cave into the woman inside her that she tried so hard to get rid of; the one that cared and felt things. She wanted to be detached from her feelings, as numb and unfeeling as possible.

From his position on the floor, Tony watched the intriguing, but dangerous woman disappear out the second door. The back of his head throbbed and pulsed painfully; damn, she had slammed him hard into the wall. He blinked trying to clear his vision and gently shook his head from side to side to make sure he was okay.

"You all right, Tony?" Rhodey asked with deep concern in his voice as he squatted down beside his friend.

"I think so," was the reply he got. "I don't think I have a concussion, but I'll have one hell of a goose egg."

Rhodey gave Stark a meaningful look. "What the hell was going on in here?" he asked.

"You know, now that I look back at it, I'm not quite sure," Tony replied genuinely puzzled.

He suddenly realized he had no idea who that fine creature was or how to find her again. He didn't like that idea, not one little bit. He still felt she was familiar, but the why would not come to him. She had been robbing the place, but she had had gloves on, so identification by fingerprints was out. None of her clothing had torn and he hadn't broken any of her silky, smooth skin for a DNA sample. Then it hit him. "Rhodey, go get me a cotton swab and a zip lock baggie, quick!" he exclaimed.

"What?" Rhodey responded with confusion. "Why do you want those items? Are you sure you didn't hit your head too hard?"

"Ha ha, very funny," Tony came back at him with. "Just do it, now please," he then ordered.

Rhodey gave him a you-must-be insane-look, but ran to try and locate the items Stark had asked him to. "You're gonna owe me one," he said as he left the room.

Tony just sat on the floor trying to replay the last few minutes in his mind. He doubted Sara was the woman's real name, but it was all he had to go on. She had tasted so good and her body had been so warm. He had been denying his usual needs for a while now and she had stirred his blood back to action. Plus, she was smart, sassy, and could obvious take care of herself. He had to find her again, he just had too. She had been so antagonistic towards him, but then she had totally given into him. The thought that he could still charm a woman into his arms brought a smile to his face. He hadn't lost the touch.

It took only a few moments for Rhodey to return to the awards room. "I can't believe you had me tearing through Hugh Hefner's mansion for this stuff," he commented as he handed Tony the cotton swab and plastic baggie.

"Oh, this is great," Tony said with genuine gratitude "They're just what I need." He carefully stood up, making sure he wouldn't topple back over, and then he made his way to the bathroom he had seen a few doors down from the awards room.

He quickly turned on a light and ignored the ornately golden and crystalline styled bathroom. He looked at his reflection in the mirror and gently proceeded to swab his lips with the cotton swab. The woman had certainly done her fair share of kissing him, as he had kissed her. He was hoping she had left some trace of her DNA on him. After he finished his gentle swabbing, he place the cotton swab carefully into the small zip lock baggie and sealed it shut. Now he just had to have one of his doctor friends run an analysis on it and he might be able to find out who the mystery woman was.

"You can run, my dear, but you can't hide," he told his reflection in the mirror.

"What are you doing, Tony?" Rhodey asked, coming into the bathroom to join his friend.

"Some detective work, bud, some detective work," Tony told him with a big grin.

Rhodey eyed Tony with a skeptical look. "What for?" he questioned.

"That brunette," was Tony's simple answer.

Rhodey rolled his eyes heavenward when he heard this. "Hell, Tony, please tell me you at least got her name before you lip locked with her?"

"Nope," Tony said, then added, "at least not her real name. She was in here robbing from Hef. I have no idea why a drop-dead-gorgeous woman like that was stealing petty jewelry and watches, but she was. I have to find who she is."

"She was robbing the --," Rhodey broke off as he digested what Tony had said. "You were making out with a burglar?" The military man couldn't believe his ears.

"Yeah, weird, huh? She didn't take much, but I want to know who she is," Tony told his friend.

"You don't need to be doing this right now, Tony," Rhodey groaned. "You have enough problems right now without you engaging in some silly cat and mouse game."

Tony gave Rhodey a hurt look. "Something tells me she needs help, so I'm going to help her. It's not up for a debate, Rhodey."

"We'd better not tell Pepper what you're up to then," Rhodey cautioned, "because she'd go through the roof. She doesn't like the exposure you have already; imagine what she would do if she knew you'd decided to investigate a common thief on top of everything else." He was referring to Tony's personal assistant, Pepper Potts; she all but ran Tony's life for him and did not like unexpected complications to arise in it. She was forever getting him out of trouble, and so was Rhodey for that matter.

Tony turned to Rhodey with a serious face. "That woman was no common thief, Rhodey. She was a pro, and a good one. I only got 'lip locked' with her because I was trying to help her not get caught. I think she could have many skills that would be useful. And besides, you know how I like to help a damsel in distress."

Rhodey gave Stark a disgusted look as he took in Tony's double meaning. "You are too much sometimes. We let you come to Hugh Hefner's birthday party, for appearances' sake, and you end up ass deep in alligators."

"You didn't let me come anywhere, Rhodey," Tony snapped at him, a little testily. "I'm not a prisoner in my own home. I'm simply taking your advice to let things calm down somewhat after my announcement."

"Yeah, the big announcement, '_I am Iron Man_"," Rhodey quoted. "Geez, Tony could you paint a larger target on yourself?"

"I couldn't help it," Tony tried to justify the maddening impulse. "It was something I just couldn't keep to myself."

"Well, let's just hope it doesn't come back to bite you in the ass," Rhodey said sternly.

"It probably will," Tony replied, "but that's what makes life interesting right?"

Rhodey just shook his head in disdain as he and Stark decided to rejoin the party. Tony placed the plastic baggie in a pocket in the inside of his tuxedo jacket and smiled to himself. Yes, he would find the bewitching thief if it was the last thing he did.

TBC

**Okay, there it is. Questions, comments, thoughts, opinions? All are welcome. Please let me know by leaving just a short review. :) **


	2. Chapter 2: The Low Down

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the rights to anything Iron Man, that right goes to Marvel Studios/Comics. I don't own any of the rights to anything dealing with the Witchblade, that right goes to Top Cow Productions. The only thing I claim as mine is any original characters I created and the plot of this particular story. No copy right infringement is meant. This is for fun not for money.**

**A/N: Here's the promised explanation about the Witchblade and some back ground on my original character of Violet and the events leading up to her meeting Stark. I'm more of a fan of the brief TNT Witchblade TV series than the actual comic, so most of my take on the Witchblade comes from the TV show. Then of course I put my own ideas into the mix too. Let me know what you think when your done reading. I know people are at least looking at the story from my stats page, but nobody is leaving reviews. Please, if you love it or hate it, let me know. I can't improve if nobody says anything. Thanks!!**

**- Ladyhawke Legend**

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**Chapter 2**

**The Low Down**

How had Violet Devonshire ended up running into Tony Stark at Hugh Hefner's birthday party? That was an easy question to answer; it was all because of the dream she kept having. She had started having the dream of the red and gold metal suited man three weeks ago; right after the incident he was involved in at Stark Industries. Tall, strong, indestructible, and fighting to defend the weak and innocent, he haunted her nights, and sometimes her days too. Iron Man was the name he had been given. She had been trying to ignore the dreams, push them aside, but the more she did that, the more forceful and intense the dreams became. She always seemed to come to him and fight by his side in the dream; helping him to protect those in need. She was supposed to find him and join his cause.

Unfortunately, that was the very last thing she wanted to do. She didn't want to be part of anything; she wanted to be alone, on her own. The artifact on her wrist had other plans for her, however, and it was now painfully obvious that it wouldn't let the matter drop. It kept escalating the dream, until Violet had no peace of mind.

Violet Devonshire had snapped awake after one such dream and sat up in her bed the night before she decided to rob Hugh Hefner's L.A. mansion. This last dream had been too real and extremely powerful. Her body had been drenched in salty sweat, and she had been breathing heavily. "Damn you," she had cursed at the thing attached to her right wrist. It was called the Witchblade, and it had a mind of its own. Through it looked like a beautifully crafted, sliver bracelet with a ruby in its center; it was a living, sentient entity, full of supernatural power that was both destructive and protective.

The petite brunette had not sought it out or even known it had existed a year ago, but the moment she came into contact with it, it had turned her life upside down. Violet had been a professional theft; she stole for a living. She would be hired by a client to steal everything and anything they wanted or desired if the price was right. She had been partners with her two brothers; one older than her by a few years, and one younger than her by a few years. She and her brothers were very close, almost inseparable; they all thought exactly alike. Violet also had one younger sister, who walked a much more straight and narrow path than the three black sheep of the family.

Her brothers were the brawn of the operation, doing most of the physical part of breaking and entering, but that didn't mean Violet wasn't just as capable as they were at that kind of thing. She had chosen to be the brains of the operation, at least most of the time. She had obtained a master's degree in computer science from MIT, and had studied less legal computer programming on the side. She knew how to go in electronically to override, disable, or bypass any computer program, especially security ones. She could get her brothers in and out of any job quickly and easily with minimal or little fuss.

How the Witchblade had ended up on her wrist was an interesting, but tragic story. A multibillionaire industrialist named Kenneth Irons had hired her brothers, Vincent and Victor, to steal the Witchblade from an auction house in New York City. Apparently, it had ended up there after the death of a police detective named Sara Pezzini. Violet would later learn that Sara had been the Witchblade's most recent wielder, or victim depending on how one decided to look at it. The Witchblade was determined to stay out of the hands of Kenneth Irons, who had become obsessed with the power and influence it held for over five decades.

Irons had tried everything he could to control Sara Pezzini, and through her, control the power of the Witchblade for his own nefarious purposes. Sara would not be controlled, and so Irons sought tirelessly to kill her; he was eventually successful. This had deprived the Witchblade of its chosen wielder way too soon; the Witchblade's next bloodline wielder was not even born yet. It would have to improvise and find an acceptable replacement until then.

So, before Irons could retrieve and take possession of the Witchblade after Sara's death, it made sure a young man named Gabriel Bowman, a trusted friend of Sara's and a rare artifacts and antiques dealer, got hold of itself first. Gabriel hid the Witchblade until, Ian Nottingham, Irons' right-hand man and lieutenant, killed him to get the Witchblade back.

Gabriel had had enough foresight to make arrangements for the Witchblade to go to Auckland's Auction House in case of his death or disappearance. It was to be held indefinitely there; no sale of the artifact was to be made, ever. Kenneth Irons finally tracked the Witchblade to Auckland's, but no amount of money he offered the owner could get him to sell it to Irons or at least put the artifact up for bid. The owner had been a good friend of Gabriel's and was determined to honor his friend's last wish, without exception.

Finally, Irons had to resort to petty theft of the Witchblade from the auction house to get it, but he wanted to use outside professionals to steal it; that way there was a less likely chance of the theft being linked back to him. Irons had felt safe and secure in hiring Violet's brothers to do the job. The multibillionaire had no idea that Violet was part of their team and would be part of the job. She was their hidden secret weapon. Knowledge was power, and the brothers wanted a little power over their clients, so they usually left out Violet's involvement in any discussion they had about a job with a client.

The reason that Irons didn't mind involving Violet's brothers was because they were male. A man was not allowed to wear or wield the Witchblade. Irons had tried himself once to do just that, but the artifact had rejected him and left him with disturbing images. It let him live an entire lifetime in a mere moment; hence his obsession with it. The brief contact he had with it also slowed down his aging process, so even though he should be close to eighty or ninety years old, he appeared to be in his late thirties or early forties. Basically, the little taste he had of the Witchblade made him yearn for more and more. Irons was not worried about the Witchblade in the Devonshires' hands because he felt that the sentient artifact would not awake in their presence.

The blonde industrialist was not counting on the fact that Violet would be included in on the heist, and that the Witchblade had just been waiting for her to come along so it could claim her as its new wielder. When this happened, he became insanely jealous and enraged. Violet was not of the original bloodline of the Witchblade wielders, yet the Witchblade still chose her to wield and wear it. It had rejected him, but it would accept an outsider; this really pissed him off.

At first he tried to seduce Violet to his side when she came to him to apologize and tell him it would not come off her wrist. She had been naïve to think that he would be understanding and would want to help her. The Witchblade had warned her away from him, however, knowing that he would use her to get power for himself. After Violet started refusing to see him and it was apparent that she was not going to give him the Witchblade, Irons got desperate. He had Violet's brothers killed, partly for revenge and partly to scare Violet into becoming his. That was when she started running and he began hunting her.

A few months later, Irons arranged for Violet's parents to have a tragic accident. He thought this would flush her out into the open and make her expose herself; instead, it drove her deeper underground. Irons had stayed away from Violet's little sister, however. Violet didn't know why, but she was grateful that Vanessa had been spared, at least for now. Maybe Irons figured hurting her through her family was not the way to get Violet to come to him or come out of hiding. Or maybe Vanessa was a back up plan that he would use at some other time . That thought terrified Violet, but she didn't know how to help her little sister.

Violet never stayed put for long in one place. The more she tried to use her programming and hacking skills to hide her identity and set up a new life for herself, the easier it seemed that Irons was able to locate her. This caused her to stay on the move and stay off the radar, which meant she couldn't get a legitimate job or even truly exist as a person on paper. The Witchblade aided her, keeping her one step ahead of Irons, but as time went on she started to run out of money; running for over a year had sapped her funds dry. Every time she tried to hack a bank for cash, Irons was almost instantly alerted to her. She tried pulling odd theft jobs here and there, but Irons seemed to find her faster when she did that too.

As she traveled, she discovered exactly what the Witchblade was and what it could do. It exhilarated her, but it also terrified her. It urged her to help other people; to right wrongs, bring the wicked to justice, protect those that needed it, and to turn people's lives around or save them from some horrible fate. It gave her the tools to be a one woman army.

When the Witchblade was not in active use, it looked like an ornate, jewel encrusted, right-handed gauntlet or even a simple woman's bracelet. When in active use, the Witchblade could expand across the body of its wielder, covering the body like a suite of armor. The amount of coverage the Witchblade would provide would depend upon the threat level the wielder was facing. The armor could also produce extensions of itself that could form swords, other stabbing weapons, hooks, chains, shields, and even wings. Also, when worn by an approved wielder, it could shoot energy blasts from the hand or sword tip, fire projectile darts, and whip-like grapples for climbing. It could act as a lock pick, a healing device, re-animate the dead, show the wielder past, present, and future scenes, and it let the current wielder see the lives of past wielders. The Witchblade would form a symbiotic relationship with its wielder or host; the two becoming as one.

The Witchblade had found Violet a more willing host than many of its previous wielders. Once Irons killed her brothers and left her all alone, she had opened her mind widely to the Witchblade's influence to help her ease her loss. Instead of blaming the ancient artifact for her brothers' death, which most wielders would have done, Violet blamed herself. She thought because of _her_ weakness, she had let her brothers down. This blame also extended to the death of Violet's parents; she felt she had failed them too. The Witchblade offered her a way to become stronger and to eventually seek revenge against Irons for his treachery. Violet had not intended to become a righter of wrongs, a hero of sorts, but the Witchblade was making her into one. It used her to push evil back and help truth and justice to prevail.

That was the Witchblade's purpose; to balance the scales between good and evil. When evil became too prevalent or pervasive in the world, the Witchblade sprung forth finding a worthy wielder to force the darkness back. It usually had a specific, human, female bloodline to follow, but not this time. Violet, however, had seemed to accept the Witchblade's will almost completely and unconditionally. Sara Pezzini had fought tooth and nail against her role as a wielder; not wanting to take on the calling or responsibility. She was so full of doubt and unbelief; many of the wielders had been that way. The Witchblade had never before been freer to do its work than with Violet Devonshire. Maybe it should have rethought the whole bloodline thing, centuries ago. Violet hadn't fought the Witchblade or questioned it, until now. Violet had started resisting and doubting recently, something the Witchblade couldn't understand and was not prepared for. They had been working so well together, with one purpose.

The supernatural weapon knew that times were changing; good needed to marshal its forces to beat back an unnatural, continual increase of evil men and evil deeds. The Witchblade had to be a part of that gathering and so must its wielder. The appearance of the "iron man" was the beginning of the prophesied avenging force that would be called together to fight the rising evil.

The Witchblade was drawn to this Iron Man, his persona. Though he was man-made and created through science, he was the one being that most closely resembled the Witchblade and its wielder in the male form. The ancient gauntlet had waited millennia to see his like. Violet, however, wanted nothing to do with him. She refused to make any close connections with anyone, even the people she helped. She would not get to know them or make them her friend in any way.

After Irons murdered her brothers and then her parents, she vowed to never care that strongly for anyone else, or let anyone care strongly about her; it was simply to painful. Her heart was so broken and her trust so shattered that she felt they would never be whole again. She had even cut herself off completely from her little sister. The Witchblade knew better; a wielder was only at her best when she had others to rely on and to share experiences with. The young thief stubbornly fought this notion. She would protect her heart from that kind of hurt not matter what the cost.

Finally, the night before Violet met Stark - aka Iron Man - the Witchblade had tried to confront Violet about her continued reluctance to meet him. _What is wrong, my sister?_ the Witchblade's wise, feminine voice had intruded into Violet's mind as the wielder had tried to calm her labored breathing from the vivid dream she had just had. Violet was one of the few wielders the Witchblade had made the decision to openly communicate with. Usually it used visions and the like to convey its thoughts and its will, but Violet had so fully embraced the Witchblade's influence that it could literally talk to her, like Violet would talk to another human being.

"You know damn well what's wrong," Violet had huffed back, out loud.

_Why do fight against joining with the Iron Man?_ the Witchblade had asked, again in Violet's mind, for only Violet could hear its voice.

"You know the answer to that already too," Violet had said curtly. "It's the man beneath the armor that I can't stand."

The Witchblade had known this was merely an excuse, so it had gently queried Violet further. _What's wrong with Anthony Stark?_

Violet had gotten out of bed at that point and stumbled to the bathroom. She had needed to splash some cold water on her face; she had felt like she was burning up. "He's an arrogant, egocentric, narcissistic ass; that's what's wrong with Stark. He builds weapons of literally mass destruction and takes no responsibility for who their sold too. He's too busy chasing woman, getting drunk, and parading in front of the media to do any real good."

_Haven't recent events shown that he has changed, grown, and matured?_ the Witchblade then had questioned. _You should be careful where you throw stones, my sister, for you have lived in a similar glass house, _the ancient gauntlet had added.

The Witchblade had been right, but Violet wasn't going to admit that she too had been a very self-absorbed, irresponsible, dishonest, unscrupulous thief for a good part of her life. It was only in the last year that she had come to see the error of her ways and worked to change herself, but Stark reminded her too much of Kenneth Irons. He had made his billions on war profiteering and weapons manufacturing, just like Irons had. So Stark like to play hero from time to time, that didn't mean that it would last. He could get bored of it and move onto whatever the next trend would be. Violet couldn't trust someone with his past, as hypocritical as that was.

_You need to give him a chance,_ the Witchblade had prodded. _Meet him, get to know him, fight by his side, and you'll get your answer._

"And what answer would that be?" Violet had then asked snappishly.

_Is he the one to heal the hole in your heart?_ the Witchblade's voice had been almost tender.

"I _know _he's not," Violet had said with conviction. "I'm not going anywhere near him, so just drop it. I'm not going to meet him or have anything to do with him."

_Don't you see, he would solve so many of our problems, _the Witchblade had said, turning seductive. _He has the means to protect us from Irons; he would shelter us. You could stop running and have a life, Violet. He would keep us safe and he would be a powerful ally. He has money, influence, and power. He has some extraordinary associates as well. He could end our loneliness. Come now, sister, stop fighting this._

Violet had refused listen. "Just shut up!" she had cried. "I'm not going to give in!" She had balled her fists up and her nails dug into her palms, she was so angry, so determined. Taking many deep and calming breathes, Violet had then said, "If you're not going to let me sleep in peace then I'm going to plan a heist. I need money and I can't get a legitimate job because of Irons, and every time I try to hack into a bank for some, Irons finds me. So leave me alone and let me work."

When nothing but silence had greeted her, Violet felt confident that she had put the artifact in its place. Little did she realize, the Witchblade had begun making plans of its own, plans to make sure Violet Devonshire and Tony Stark met each other. If Violet wanted to plan a heist, then the Witchblade would give her a hand and secretly lead her right to where it wanted her to be. The Witchblade was very good at surrounding itself with what it needed and getting what it wanted. It had the power to draw to it anything and everything it considered necessary to fight evil; Iron Man was one of those things it considered necessary. If Violet wouldn't do it voluntarily, the Witchblade would not force her to, but it would try to trick her into doing it instead, still allowing Violet to make her own choice.

Violet, in her silky, black pajamas, had then gone into the kitchen, started coffee brewing, and grabbed the _L.A. Times _off the gleaming, metal countertop. She had needed to find an event where many wealthy people would be gathering and where they would get really drunk. Then she could snatch whatever goods she could without too much trouble and little chance of getting caught. The petite thief had scanned the main section of the newspaper and come up dry. She went for the Arts & Entertainment section next and still came away with nothing. There had to be some charity dinner, dance, or party somewhere. Some movie had to be having some kind of premiere somewhere in this town; it was L.A. after all.

She had tried the area of the newspaper that was just devoted to the L.A. scene and not the nation as a whole. That was when she had found it; it was just a small thing really, quite beneath her standards. The article was very short and didn't much give much detail, but all Violet cared about was the opportunity it presented. It was Hugh Hefner's birthday the next day and he was throwing a party for some close and personal friends; not the usual Hollywood crowd. Maybe the Playboy founder was getting sentimental in his older age, but he was keeping this a tight-lipped and under publicized event for some strange reason.

Violet hadn't been able to believe her luck. The press was not invited to this party, and the number of people would be big enough for her to mix in with, but not so large that she wouldn't be able to hear herself think. True, it would be harder to get admitted to the party without an official invite, but then she knew how to slip in and out past security. The party was being held in his Beverly Hills mansion; that meant that Hefner's actual residence could be her target, not its guests. He must have tons of expensive trinkets lying around, just waiting for someone to come along and put them to better use. The idea had started to sound better and better the more she had thought about it.

Her only problem had been coming up with something to wear. She had known that she would need something sexy, but something she could work in too. Violet had seen the perfect, standard, little black dress in a shop not long ago. It had been way out of her price range at the moment, but it would be easy enough to steal. No scratch that – borrow – was a better word. She could borrow the dress and then return it the next day, no harm, no foul.

"That thought had to come from you," Violet had commented to the bracelet on her wrist. "You're going to make an honest woman out of me yet, huh?" she then had asked it.

It hadn't taken long for Violet to get a reply from it. _That woman is already inside you, Violet. You just need help in finding her._

Violet had laughed harshly and said sarcastically, "Then I'm going to need a very detailed road map, because she is completely lost."

_Only because you won't look for her, _the Witchblade had told her. _You've bonded with me, become one with me, accepted my will in so many ways to help other people, but when it comes to helping yourself, you refuse. Why is that?_

"Because I don't deserve it," Violet's voice had become only a whisper, "and this conversation is over." With that Violet had drunk down her hazelnut flavored coffee and set about getting ready to go retrieve the dress she needed for the party the next day, and putting the final touches on how and what she was going to do once inside Hugh Hefner's Playboy mansion.

* * *

Getting into Hefner's party had been much harder than she thought; security was super tight and if you didn't have an invitation you weren't allowed in. So Violet had had to charm her way in. She felt so degraded using her assets as a woman to talk the doorman into letting her inside the mansion. It took a lot of flirting and a lot of batting her eyelashes, plus giving him a good eyeful of cleavage. As she was trying to persuade the doorman to allow her access inside, one of Hefner's true guests had spotted her and decided she would make a great trophy on his arm. She played up being an out of luck starlet and got him to vouch for her with promises of a night he would never forget. Two hours later she had laid him out flat and stashed him in a closet somewhere. He would wake up with one hell of a headache, but that was all.

It was right after Violet arrived that she had caught sight of Tony Stark among a flock of female admirers, and many of them were Playboy bunnies. The young thief had to admit Stark was a sight to behold. He was tall, dark, and handsome in his black tux. It was obviously a top-of-the-line designer one, and he wore it very well. She had silently cursed the Witchblade for its manipulations over and over again once she had realized she had been set up.

The place Violet had picked for a robbery had not been at random or because it was a lucky find; it was picked because the Witchblade had planted the damn idea in her head and led her to find the event in the paper. Violet had worked hard to stay away from Stark all night, keeping with her escort until the appropriate time came to ditch him. Violet had caught Stark talking to Hugh Hefner for a very long time, laughing and chatting animatedly.

It seemed that Stark's usual entourage of body guards was conspicuously absent, which struck Violet as strange; the man's arrogance and pride knew no bounds. Apparently, he had felt he no longer needed his small army of body guards, because he was now Iron Man. Violet had laughed at his foolishness; if anybody wanted to take him out, they could have done so that night.

As Violet actually had started her heist, going for easy to access jewelry and watches in the awards room, she thought things had gone rather well. She was accomplishing her goal to stay away from Stark and get items she could sell for major cash. That was until Stark had walked in on her in the middle of her heist. Why had he decided to take a stroll and end up in the awards room, Violet had no idea. She knew the Witchblade could issue an almost siren-like call when it wanted to, attracting people to it, but that was usually with weak minded individuals; Tony Stark did not strike Violet as weak minded – well maybe only where women were concerned.

The Witchblade must have been gambling on Stark getting a little bored and needing to get away from the crowd for a bit, and then had maneuvered Violet into a room that he would have a likely interest in visiting. It was a gamble that had paid off, because he had come and they had now met.

Violet was still fuming about what had happened between them. She had never let a man she had barely met ever kiss her the way Stark had. Her hormones fired to life every time she thought about that kiss. He was not her type; she liked humble men. Tony Stark was not a humble man, in Violet's opinion. He was everything she despised, yet he set her on fire. She was not about to be another of his conquests, and she was not going to think about him anymore. She was going to leave California all together and go some place new, yet again.

_Don't do this, Violet, _the Witchblade now pleaded with her, as the young woman filled the two suitcases that held what was left of her life.

"I can't believe you did that to me!" Violet cried, throwing clothes into the suitcases. "You had no right to manipulate me like that!"

_You forget yourself, my dear, _the Witchblade's tone became darker. _I have always manipulated my wielders. They often needed to be pushed to do what I wanted them to do. You have been the first wielder I haven't had to coerce or pressure into doing my will, until now._

Violet did not know what to say to this, but her anger increased with each word she heard. Finally she said, "Well then, if that's how its going to be, then you can find yourself another wielder, because I quit!"

This outburst completely surprised the Witchblade. Violet could almost taste its shock. _That's not an option, Violet. We are one. I can only leave you if you are dead, _the Witchblade stated ominously.

"That can be arranged," Violet replied. "I'm sick of living like this. I'm sick of running. I'm sick of hiding. I'm sick of sticking my neck out for other people. And I'm sick of you! Maybe my death would be the best thing for both of us."

_You can't mean that, my sister, _the Witchblade's tone was mortified. _You cannot want to die._

Violet zipped her suitcases up and made her way to the silver BMW 1 Series Convertible she had also stolen from the party last night. She had already changed the license plates and painted it black to keep it from being found. "Maybe I do," was all Violet said.

The Witchblade had to turn this situation around and fast. It had underestimated how strongly and viscerally Violet would react to being tricked and influenced so underhandedly. It had to find a way to get her and Tony Stark together again before Violet did something stupid. He would be able to help Violet, but Violet just couldn't see that right now. The ancient artifact knew that his interest in Violet had been piqued, and that he was in the act of searching for her, but he might be too late. The Witchblade would have to intervene, somehow. It could not let this wielder slip away. She was too important to the future to be lost so foolishly.

TBC

**Is it good or bad? Does it make sense? Please share your thoughts by leaving a little review; it is always appreciated!! :) **


	3. Chapter 3: A Little Research

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the rights to anything Iron Man, that right goes to Marvel Studios/Comics. I don't own any of the rights to anything dealing with the Witchblade, that right goes to Top Cow Productions. The only thing I claim as mine is any original characters I created and the plot of this particular story. No copyright infringement is meant. This is for fun and not for money.**

**A/N: At the end of the chapter I've provided a list of the what the acronyms I used for government agencies and the systems they use to locate missing people and catch criminals with, just for clarification. This chapter deals with the aftermath of Tony meeting Violet. He is desperate to find out who she is and so he goes about accomplishing that goal, Tony Stark style. Remember to read and ****review****!!**

**- Ladyhawke Legend**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

**A Little Research**

"Thanks for taking my call, Dr. Leroy. I really appreciate it," Tony Stark said into his vid phone as he sat back in his chair. He was in his executive office at Stark Industries where he had a grand view of almost the entire complex out his full, wall-length window.

A young, blonde man with gray eyes, framed by thin, wiry glasses stared back at him. Dr. Jeff Leroy was a DNA expert doing special research and development for the Strategic Homeland, Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistic Division, or S.H.I.E.L.D., for short. Tony had decided that someone within that defense agency would be his best bet for speed, accuracy, and privacy in finding out who his mystery woman from the other night was. He didn't want to alert anyone to his search, especially anyone in law enforcement.

When Dr. Leroy spoke, it was with a slightly East Coast accent. "My assistant was vague on what you wanted, Mr. Stark, but your request to speak with me intrigued me too much to turn you down."

Tony often had that effect on people. He tried not to smile about it as he spoke. "I called because I need a favor, but it has to be handled very delicately and very discretely." At Dr. Leroy's nod he went on. "I have a DNA sample I need to have analyzed and identified. I don't want my search for the person the sample belongs to tip anyone else off about them. They may have a past with breaking the law, and I don't want any interference from anyone until I can talk to them and maybe help them. Does that make any sense?"

"Of course it does, Mr. Stark. So, I take it that Director Fury doesn't know you're doing this?" Leroy asked bluntly.

Tony didn't bat an eyelash at the question. "No, he doesn't, and I want it to stay that way. Do you have a problem with that?"

"Oh, no," Dr. Leroy was quick to reassure him. "I actually don't appreciate the far reaching oversight Fury has with us scientists sometimes. It would bring me great pleasure to do something under his nose for a change."

Tony had picked the right man for the job; an unhappy employee. He liked Leroy's attitude; it was one he shared. "I'll tell you what; I'll throw in a complete set of playoff tickets for all the Lakers games if you can pull this off." Tony thought sweetening the deal a little couldn't hurt and may win the man over even more.

"That would be fantastic!" the young, blonde doctor said as his whole face lit up at the prospect. Tony had done his homework on the man and knew he was a basketball junky, especially when it came to the hometown L.A. Lakers.

"Great, we have an arrangement then. I will send the DNA sample over to you via a special, personal courier. I need the results as quickly as you can get them. I don't want to have to wait days or weeks," Tony clarified for Dr. Leroy.

"Shouldn't be a problem," was the reply Tony got from the good doctor. "I'll get on it as soon as I receive it and see if I can have some data for you either by tonight or first thing tomorrow morning."

Tony beamed at Leroy. "Excellent. Thanks, Dr. Leroy, you've been most helpful," Tony complimented the young man.

"You got it, Mr. Stark," Leroy said cheerfully in return. "It's a pleasure doing business with you, sir."

"Likewise," Tony told him honestly and said his goodbyes. It wouldn't be long now and he would be able to find the captivating woman that had stolen more than a few trinkets from Hugh Hefner. Somehow she had stolen a bit of Tony's peace of mind as well.

* * *

Tony was busily working in his workshop, deep inside his Malibu mansion, when the call from Leroy came. He had gotten so into repairing and modifying his Mark III, Iron Man suit, that his backstabbing mentor, Obadiah Stane, had crushed, that he almost missed it. Tony had given Dr. Leroy his personal cell number, to bypass his ever efficient personal assistant, Miss Pepper Potts; she didn't need to know about his latest scheme.

"I thought I was going to have to leave you a voice mail, Mr. Stark," Dr. Leroy said in way of greeting.

"Sorry, I got into something in the shop and lost track of time," Tony told him with a sheepish smile he knew the doctor couldn't see.

Dr. Leroy understood the tendency to get lost in one's work. "I just thought you'd want to know what I found out about your DNA sample."

"Were you able to get an I.D.?" Tony asked trying not to sound too excited.

"I was, and I must say, the woman is colorful to say the least," Dr. Leroy's tone was slightly teasing. "I got a hit for her in CODIS."

"You mean she's a felon?" Tony demanded when Leroy paused of too long. "Your search didn't stir anything up did it?"

"No to both questions, Mr. Stark. I was very thorough in covering my tracks, thank you very much. You girl seems to have had her DNA entered into CODIS because it was found at a crime scene, not because she was arrested and convicted of a crime. I'll send you a copy of the file I've complied for you, but I can give you the basic information on her now, if you'd like," Leroy began.

Oh boy, did Tony want to know about her now. "Got for it," he told the doctor.

"Her name is Violet Devonshire. She was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. She disappeared from her home in Manhattan, New York a few days after her two brothers were found dead in her uptown apartment. She was a suspect in their deaths, but nothing substantial was ever found to bring her up on charges. When she was investigated, it was discovered that she and her brothers were professional thieves, so her fingerprints, which were originally only taken only as an elimination sample at the crime scene, went into the AFIS and the Triple-I databases. She has one sister still living in Fairfax, Virginia. Her parents are decreased; car accident it appears. She's been missing for over a year, with no contact with her sister at all, so that also puts her in the NCIC's database as well, for missing persons," Leroy finished.

"Wait a minute, wasn't there a big news story about this, a year ago or so?" Tony asked as a realization was beginning to hit him; that's where he'd seen her face before.

"You are correct, Mr. Stark," Leroy replied. "Included in the files I've complied are several news clipping from the time of her brothers' murders. They were pretty brutal and suggested some sort of ritualistic killing. They made all the papers for days to come afterward."

"And this Violet," Tony liked the name, "just vanished a few days later? No one's heard from her again? Not even the police or the FBI?"

Leroy paused a moment as he consulted his data. "It looks like she popped up on the grid only once or twice in the last year. Background checks were run on her after the police in Chicago received help from her in catching a violent serial killer, but she appears to have gone under ground again after that."

"Anything else?" Tony asked, becoming more and more interested with each fact he learned about Violet Devonshire. So, she wasn't just a thief; she had a hero streak in her too, just like him. He wondered what had really happened to her brothers and why she was on the run.

"That's all that I think that's relevant, Mr. Stark," Leroy said. "You can go through the files at your leisure and find out anything else you want to know."

"I'm very impressed, Dr. Leroy; so impressed in fact, that I'm going to make sure your Lakers' tickets are for a Skybox with all the amenities they come with," Tony decided to offer.

"Thank you, sir, that is most generous of you," Dr. Leroy's gratitude could be heard in his voice.

Tony shrugged to himself; it was the least he could do. "And you're sure that nobody has any inkling of what you've been doing or who you've been researching?" Tony was still a little worried. He had a nagging feeling that someone was after Violet Devonshire and that's why she was running, not because she killed her brothers. He didn't want his search into her past to tip anyone else off about where she might be hiding.

"I'm positive, Mr. Stark," Leroy reassured him. "I was extremely careful."

"Great," Tony responded. "I'll anxiously await your packet of information." And with that, Tony hung up. It shouldn't take the good doctor to long to electronically transfer all the data he had assembled to Tony's private server. That was the same place he stored and kept all his Iron Man suit designs as well; they were for his eyes only.

Tony freed up a whole console to pull up various parts of the data package Leroy was sending him. He could pull up multiple parts of the file at the same time on different screens, or split some of the screens vertically to allow him to view more information at one time. Once the data came, Tony immersed himself in it, careful to watch for Miss Potts, incase she decided to drop in and bug him.

"Jarvis," he said to his trusty A.I. system, "alert me immediately if you detect Miss Potts coming in here, will you? And make sure that she doesn't see any of this data I'm saving under Blue Eyes."

"Certainly, sir," Jarvis replied from everywhere and nowhere around Tony, in a crisp and very proper British accent. Tony had modeled him after an English butler. Jarvis was a very sophisticated artificial intelligence program that Tony had designed to run his house - everything from security to bath temperature could be controlled through Jarvis.

Tony really didn't want Pepper to know about Violet. Tony and Pepper Potts' relationship was complicated. They were employer and employee, but they were also good friends, almost like family, yet the was an undercurrent of romantic interest there too, but both of them felt it unwise to let it evolve. Pepper might not be too happy about Violet, but Tony couldn't help himself, the woman had bewitched him, and might be someone he could care about.

It would be nice to expand his inner circle. All he had was Rhodey and Pepper; it might be a good thing to have someone else too. Yensin had taught him the importance of loving people. He had died to help Tony live and he had had a family he had loved and watched die, but he had died happy; he died content because he had given his life for someone else. Tony wanted that same contentment.

The first thing Tony did was pull up any photographs of Violet. The striking brunette must have dyed her hair to change her appearance some, because most of the pictures Leroy had given him had her with dishwater blonde hair. She looked fantastic either way. It was her intensely blue eyes that grabbed his attention. They looked haunted in many of the pictures, troubled and sad too. It was from the news articles that he had seen her before; that was why she seemed somewhat familiar last night.

"She seems like a lovely, young woman," Jarvis commented randomly. Tony had programmed him to be interactive, to actually initiate conversations if Tony was quiet for too long.

"You have no idea, Jarvis," Tony replied passionately.

Next he found a piece of information, not mentioned verbally by Dr. Leroy, but included in the files he sent. It seemed the FBI had discovered that the last job as a thief that Violet had pulled before her brothers' deaths was linked back to a Kenneth Irons. That was a name that startled Tony and one that he recognized. He was the CEO of Vorschlag Industries, one of Stark Industries top competitors, especially in tech development. Vorschlag, however, liked to deal more with bio technology, whereas Tony had always had been more of a hardware man. Both companies had contracts with the DOD to develop new and better weapons.

How the FBI had actually found a connection between Irons and Violet he didn't know, but Tony was willing to bet that Violet had something of Irons' and that was who she was running from. Irons was a very unethical and unscrupulous bastard. He and Obadiah Stane would have been great pals if they hadn't been competing against each other.

As Tony dug deeper in the files, he almost dropped his coffee mug that he had been about to take a sip from; S.H.I.E.L.D. had a file on her. It was interesting that Leroy hadn't commented on that. Maybe the doctor didn't want to talk about that little fact over the phone. Why on earth would the defense agency be investigating a professional thief? They were usually interested in the unusual or the extraordinary, not regular people.

"Why would S.H.I.E.L.D. be examining her life and be trying to track her down?" Tony now asked of Jarvis, bouncing ideas off his A.I. program.

"That is a good question, sir," Jarvis answered. "While Violet Devonshire appears to be an exceptional woman, I don't see anything about her that would attract S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attention."

"At least not yet," was Tony's response.

"True, sir," Jarvis said respectfully.

This new information made his finding Violet again even more important. She might be a good addition to the team of people Nick Fury was trying to put together to fight the good fight. But it might be better if she got the invite from Tony, on a more subtle level, than from the hardnosed director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Another opportunity was presenting itself to Tony; checking out his company's main competitor, Kenneth Irons and Vorschlag Industries. The multibillionaire industrialist had been trying to get Tony to see him for years now, and Tony had always declined. He thought that he recalled that Obadiah had met with the ambitious business man a few times; that now was kind of a worrisome thought to Tony. What had the two talked about – what kind of deals had they made behind Tony's back? They were both dirty and underhanded in how they did business, especially when it came to developing and selling weapons.

Maybe now would be a good time to have Pepper call Irons' assistant and set up an appointment. Tony wanted to size the man up, see what he was made of, what he was like in person. All the information he had about Irons came from people on Stark Industries board of directors and a few tech developers who had jumped ship to Stark Industries from Vorschlag Industries; none of what they said was good. Tony needed to assess the situation himself, and maybe, just maybe, he could get Irons to slip up and say something about Violet.

Tony would have to be very careful and cunning in the way he went about that, however. He didn't want to be the one that helped Irons find Violet. That wouldn't earn him any brownie points with her. Could Irons' interest in Violet be the same as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s interest in her? What made her so exceptional? How was she different from all the other thieves out there? She was such an enigma; she fascinated Tony.

He could still feel the warmth of her body against his, and her sweet scent still lingered in his memory. He groaned when he went back over in his mind the kiss they had shared and the fact that it was way too brief. This was crazy. He'd always had a weakness for beautiful and sassy woman, but this was completely ridiculous. He had been in her presence for what, like five minutes, and he couldn't stop thinking about her. It was totally crazy, but oh so incredible.

The only way for him to have any peace of mind was to see her again and talk to her, find out who she really was, and then help her in anyway he could. But that meant that he had to find her, and that was going to be a real challenge. Not that Tony didn't like a challenge, but this one was that had an absolute imperative to be conquered.

"Excuse me for interrupting your reflections, sir, but you asked me to notify you when I got a hit against any of the shipping manifests that Mr. Stane had authorized without your consent. The ones that could not be canceled, or where nearly impossible to trace," Jarvis' smooth and cultured voice broke into Tony's musings.

"That's just fine, Jarvis," Tony replied, wholly surprised. He had set that parameter up quite a while ago and nothing had ever come through. Obadiah worked very hard to conceal his under the table dealings, but some evidence could be traced and outted. Part of his mission as Iron Man was to find all the of the Stark Industries weapons that were sold to the bad guys and then destroy them. This search program was one of Tony's ways to try and accomplish that mission. "What've you got?" he then asked.

Jarvis brought up some data on another screen other than the ones Tony was currently using. "It appears as though there is a rather large shipment of weapons going to a subsidiary of Vorschlag Industries in Bosnia. I had to go through shell company after shell company, but I finally was able to establish a definitive link back to Vorschlag," Jarvis told his creator.

"What!?" Tony exclaimed in disbelief. "You're sure that the weapons are Stark Industries' weapons and not Vorschlag's own?"

"In over twenty-five markers of identification, the weapons in this shipment match those of Stark Industries particular materials, design, and configuration," Jarvis was precise in his answer. "There is a ninety-two percent probability that these weapons are in fact weapons manufactured by and originated from Stark Industries, sir. For additional identification I've even tried matching serial numbers. Many of the serial numbers seem to have been tampered with, but each one has a seventy-four point six seven percent chance of matching the original Stark Industries serial numbers."

"When and where is this shipment going out?" Tony demanded. He had no doubt now that Obadiah had sold out to Irons. This was really bad and it shook Tony to his core. How many other villains had Stane sold out to?

Jarvis was silent a minute, and then he said as he again brought up data for Tony to view, "They are leaving from the Port of L.A., shipping out at 0100 hours tomorrow morning. There are thirty-one containers. The weapons range from S-category missiles to M-category mortars to AP mines to a variety of automatic, semi-automatic machines guns and handguns. I believe there are even a number of rocket-propelled grenades." Pictures of all the aforementioned weapons scrolled across the screen.

Red, hot anger, flashed through Tony. His weapons were not going to end up in the hands of terrorists, or in the hands of those people who were still determined to carry out ethnic cleansings of other nationalities. Tony Stark was not "The Merchant of Death", and he was going to keep trying to prove that fact to the entire world, until it killed him. He had lived through his horrific experience in Afghanistan for a reason, and he was not going to waste his second chance to make things right.

"Sir?" Jarvis interrupted his thought once again, and the A.I. program actually sounded tentative.

"Yes, Jarvis, is there something else?" Tony tried to ask patiently.

"I don't think your going to like this next piece of information, sir," was Jarvis' reply.

"Just spit out, Jarvis," Tony said starting to grow frustrated.

After another lengthy pause, Jarvis finally said, "It appears that Vorschlag Industries is also selling Stark Industries Jericho Missile too, sir.

Tony about fell out of his chair. How the hell did Irons get his hands on that weapon? How long had he had access to them? "How soon will the Mark III be ready for deployment again?"

"If you continue working on it the way you have for the last two days, it will be fully functional again by 0100 hours tomorrow morning," Jarvis said exactly what Tony wanted to hear.

"Good, because that is when I need to go clean up the mess that Obadiah left behind him," Tony's tone of voice left little room for argument. "Then have Miss Potts make me an appointment to meet with the head of Vorschlag Industries. I want all this evidence that Vorschlag is illegally selling my weapons on the black market to take with me."

"Yes, sir," was Jarvis' answer to Tony's orders.

The search for Violet Devonshire would have to wait one more day. Tony had to stop this shipment with its deadly cargo before it left L.A. Then he could turn his attention back to her. Picking up a number of tools, he set to work on getting the Mark III suit ready for its next mission.

TBC

**CODIS – Combined DNA Index System**

**AFIS – Automated Fingerprint Identification System**

**Triple I – Interstate Identification Index**

**NCIC – National Crime Information Center**

**DOD – Department of Defense**

**I hope that little list is helpful. You know what to do now, leave me your impressions, even if it's just a brief sentence or two. :) **


	4. Chapter 4:In Need

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the rights to anything Iron Man, that right goes to Marvel Studios/Comics. I don't own any of the rights to anything dealing with the Witchblade, that right goes to Top Cow Productions. The only thing I claim as mine is any original characters I created and the plot of this particular story. No copyright infringement is meant. This is for fun and not for money.**

**Rated T: For some language and heavy action-related violence.**

**A/N: This chapter is my shot at writing some action. Tony and Violet finally meet again, thanks to the manipulations of the Witchblade. Please let me know if this is any good. I really want to know what people think. Any kind of review is welcome. Even if you haven't reviewed before, please do. The author would be so very grateful. Thanks and enjoy!**

**-Ladyhawke Legend**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

**In Need**

Violet had been traveling for two hours when the visions assaulted her and forced her to pull the BMW convertible over; it was either that or have a terrible accident. The Witchblade pummeled her with sights, sounds, smells, and sensations. It only did this to her when someone was in real trouble – like life and death trouble. Violet never got used to being immersed in another world, lost to psychic and other worldly power. The Witchblade allowed her to see things that were shrouded in mist and hidden in the shadows. This time was no different, but it was much stronger than anything the Witchblade had previously inflicted upon her.

Wherever she was, it was blindingly dark, swelteringly humid, and absolutely petrifying. The place reeked of death and decay. It was a putrid smell that made Violet want to gag, it was so strong. This hellhole also smelled agonizingly of human waste. Violet thought she would lose her lunch right then and there, the smell was so foul. She could hear the sounds of people sobbing, waling, and crying out in the dark. People were in pain: hunger, thirst, dehydration, cramped muscles, injuries from being beaten or restrained, and heartache. Violet felt the utter terror and fear from multiple sources. She also felt complete hopelessness, despair, desperation, loneliness, anxiety, panic, misery, and bleakness as well; it radiated off everyone in this place.

What in the hell was going on here? Why was the Witchblade throwing her into this? Then it became apparent exactly where she was; in the midst of young Asian girls trapped in shipping containers to be smuggled into the United States as slaves. Violet had read about how ruthless and evil men kidnapped girls and woman right out of their fields out in the country side; in places like China, Indonesia, Mongolia, Burma, and other such nations, and then sold them as personal slaves to sick and perverted people who would do anything they wanted to them. Violet was seeing what they saw, experiencing what they experienced, as the boat they were on was carrying them toward American shores. It was the most nightmarish thing Violet had ever beheld.

Finally, the vision dissipated and faded around her. Violet collapsed against the steering wheel, panting and shaking. Her stomach twisted and churned; she felt sick. The anguish of the young girls was still fresh in her mind; they were only about between the ages of twelve to eighteen, at the most. The Witchblade's red gem still glowed and white mist seemed to swirl in its depths, sure signs it was very active. Violet heard the telltale whisperings it gave off when it was using it supernatural power.

"Why did you show me that?!" Violet all but shouted at the Witchblade as she gripped the steering wheel fiercely.

_You must help them, _came the ancient artifact's answer. _They need you._

"Shit!" Violet cursed, gripping the steering wheel tighter; so tightly that her knuckles went white. "This is really damn crappy timing!"

_You're the only one who can set them free, _the Witchblade told her in its most soothing voice. _You're the only one who can feel their pain and knows what is happening to them. You must save them, Violet. We must save them._

Violet knew what the right thing to do was, and normally she was gung-ho to do just that, but she wanted to leave, and she was seriously considering ending her life. She also knew that the Witchblade was doing this to her to manipulate her again. If Violet was busy saving lives and punishing a bunch of low-life, slave-driving scum, then she couldn't be contemplating suicide. "I can't this time," Violet croaked out, tears stinging her eyes. "I can't do this anymore." She felt herself begin to sob.

_Yes you can, my sister, yes you can, _the Witchblade cooed to her, like a mother would a fussing infant. _Do this one thing for me, and we will renegotiate our earlier disagreement._

"You're serious," Violet whispered hoarsely. "I save these poor girls and you'll drop all the Iron Man business?" Would it really do that? Violet suddenly had a little hope and her monster grip on the steering wheel loosened a tiny bit.

_We can discuss it further and find a solution we both can _live _with, _the Witchblade hedged.

Violet was silent for a long time; torn between her new sense of duty to protect the innocent and her all-encompassing despair. Finally, she said, "Where are they? How can I reach them?"

Instead of telling her the Witchblade again showed her, glowing and swirling as it gave her another vision. Violet saw the huge cargo ship docking at Port Los Angeles, Pier Twenty-Three, Dock Nine. The container she saw specified that it contained computer hardware components in it, disguising its human cargo. Violet then caught another label, one that sent a wave of anger and rage through her - Vorschlag Industries. That meant that Kenneth Irons had a hand in this diabolical and extremely unspeakable crime. He was helping traffic young girls in the illegal slave trade.

"Why didn't you show me that before?" Violet angrily demanded, now slamming her hand against the steering wheel; luckily, she missed the horn.

As the vision disappeared, the Witchblade replied, _I wanted your consent to come from a sense of helping others in need, not the petty need for vengeance. Consider the opportunity to hurt Kenneth Irons financially as an added bonus to doing the right thing._

"Do I still have time to get there before the girls are unloaded and dispersed?" Violet asked next, ignoring the Witchblade's attempt to teach her.

Another vision enveloped Violet as she saw that the cargo ship would not dock until around one o'clock in the morning, and then it would be unloaded. It was ten o'clock in the evening now. That gave her three hours to drive back to L.A. and find the right pier, dock, and containers. It would be cutting it close, but she could make it, if she got her ass in gear. Peeling out of the gravel on the side of the road, Violet got the car turned around swiftly and headed back the way she had come.

* * *

Three and a half hours later, Violet was crouched behind a bunch of freshly unloaded crates. She had made it to Pier Twenty-Three, Dock Nine, just in time. The large, blue metal containers had been taken off the ship and placed on the dock. They were just awaiting an expedited customs clearance, and then they would be opened and the cargo dispersed. Irons must have had dock workers, customs agents, security guards, and shipping employees all under his thumb. He probably paid them damn well to look the other way; hell he probably had set all of them up for life.

Such human greed and inhumanity to its own kind pissed Violet off. She would enjoy running them through with the Witchblade. Violet had never killed anyone before she wielded the Witchblade, and the first time she had to do it, it had revolted and sickened her. As time went on and Violet learned how evil people could really be, it got easier. Tonight she was looking forward to it. This worried the Witchblade, but not enough for it to deter Violet's actions. It was just happy Violet was doing something constructive with her negative emotions and not destructive to herself.

Violet would wait until she saw the girls get out of the containers - there were three of them - then she would strike. She would cut down the bad guys and save the victims of this heinous act of cruelty. Minutes passed and Violet's calves and thighs began to burn from her crouched position. It seemed the customs agent wanted more money to allow the shipment to pass inspection. The buyers of the cargo, five men of all varying sizes and shapes, finally gave in and made a deal with the customs agent. The five men reminded Violet of ugly, squared-jawed mobsters in old gangster films.

The loud creaking of a poorly oiled door was then heard as one of the containers was opened. Violet peeked around the corner of her hiding place to get a better view. At least thirty, small, sickly-looking, dark haired girls stared out into the moonlit night. Another fifteen girls lay dead and in various stages of decay as well; one third of the container's contents had not survived. Violet felt the anger and fury in her rise, fiery hot. The other two containers groaned and scraped as they too were opened.

"It seems we made off better this time, lost less," a man with a nasally voice commented.

"Yes, but this crop of product seems very substandard," a man with a low, rumbling voice replied. "We're still going to lose money on this shipment I'm afraid."

A third man smoking a cigarette added his voice to theirs. "You guys worry too much. We'll still make a pile off this shipment's goods."

Violet had heard enough; these men were talking about human beings as if they were things or commodities to be bought and sold for the right price. It was so completely despicable; they were going to pay for this. She was going to end it – now.

"Sorry, gentlemen, but I think someone is going to liquidate your assets," she hissed as she sprung from her hiding place to face them.

"What the hell!?" the nasally voice man with a weasel-like face exclaimed.

"Who the hell are you!?" the deep voiced man with huge jowls attached to his neck yelled.

"She's someone who is in way over her head and in the wrong place at the wrong time," said the man with the cigarette. He seemed tall and lean compared to the other two. Guys four and five had disappeared.

Violet just laughed at them with cruel, cutting laughter. "You want to know who I am?" she asked with venom in her tone. "I'm justice," she stated simply, but powerfully.

"Honey, you're seriously out numbered and out gunned," the cigarette man told her.

Suddenly, from places Violet couldn't see, at least two dozen armed men poured out from behind the surrounding containers and crates. Violet smiled wickedly, so they were going to give her a run for her money; that would only make this that much more fun. The Witchblade snapped into service as it and Violet's thoughts became one. Its red ruby glowed brightly in the poorly lit alcove. It grew and expanded into its true form, that of a gloved gauntlet, one that covered Violets fingers and whole hand on her right side. It continued to cover her wrist and arm up to her elbow. The metal gleamed a stunning, silvery white, and its surface was now raised up, not smooth anymore; in fact it seemed to grow ridges and where it ended at Violet elbow it had grown curved and very sharp.

The three men and the customs agent gasped as they watched the impossible happen. The thick jowled man drew a semi-automatic hand gun from his belt and fired at Violet. She quickly crossed the Witchblade in front of her, blocking and deflecting the bullet effortlessly. That was all it took for the two dozen others holding sub-machine guns to open up fire on her. In microseconds the Witchblade extended itself into full-on armor, covering Violet completely from head to toe to protect her. The bullets came at her in huge numbers, but all bounced harmlessly off the Witchblade armor, not making any dents whatsoever in it. Some even ricocheted off her and threatened those that were firing at her; a few took hits and went down. She looked like something out of a fantasy tale; a knight in shining armor, helmet and all.

When it was painfully apparently that bullets wouldn't harm her, somebody turned a flamethrower on her. Violet felt the heat of the licking flames, but did not fear them; they couldn't hurt her. _Where in the name of Hades had they gotten that thing_? she wondered to herself. This was getting insane. The Witchblade activated again, this time growing a sword out of Violet's right hand to now go on the offensive. Flame met the sword blade as she advanced toward the flamethrower. The sword drew the fire into itself and burned as Violet slashed through the air with it, cutting down the flamethrower.

Five more men approached her firing madly at her as she turned on them. It didn't take long for Violet to slice through them or run them through with the flaming sword, setting them on fire as she did so. The three men in front of the containers holding the women knew it was time to leave; they made a run for it. Violet wasn't about to let the bastards in charge get away. She make quick work of the grunts that came at her and made her way toward them. They _would _pay for their crimes against the innocent.

* * *

Tony Stark was all dressed up in his new and improved Mark III, Iron Man suit. Jarvis had been redownloaded into the suit's computer systems and all was a go. He had been skulking around Pier Twenty-Four, Dock Seven locating and tagging every crate and container he found that Jarvis identified as Stark Industries' weapons. With crates and containers tagged with specific heat signatures, Tony could then fly up and take out each one from a safe distance with some of his heat-seeking missiles, which launcher was built into the suit. He had arrived at midnight, trying to tag and destroy all the crates and containers before they were loaded onto the ship they were going out on.

He was running behind because he had actually opened up some of the crates and containers to see if his company's weapons were really inside; they were to Tony's ire. He hadn't seen any trace of any Jericho missiles, however, and that really bothered him. It was now already way passed one o'clock, but no one had come yet to gather up any of the merchandise. Tony was just about done and ready to lock and load, but first he was going make sure that he didn't cause any collateral damage to other property or people. That was when the sound of gunfire filled the night air. It wasn't just one or two little pops either; it sounded to Tony an awful lot like machine gun fire. What in the hell was going on? He had to go find out; people may need his help. The destruction of the weapons was top priority, normally, but in the end, people in trouble trumped that priority.

Firing his jet boosters, he had Jarvis triangulate exactly where the gunfire was coming from, and then he headed in that direction. Using all the computer technology his suit contained, Tony could see better in his suit than out of it. His used his special optics to zoom in on the source of the gunfire. If the suit could have fallen off him, it would have, because of his complete and utter shock at what he saw.

There was someone down in amongst some containers and crates fighting in a suit of armor. This person's armor was nothing like his, however. This armor seemed vibrant, alive almost, and looked more like it was part of the person than an actual suit. Whereas, his suit used the impulses from his nervous system to mimic every one of his body's movements to perfection through computer systems and programs; this person's suit seemed to almost grow out of its wearer, like it was an extension of them. The armor was molded perfectly to the wearer's body.

_Where did this guy come from?_ Tony thought to himself in total fascination at what he was seeing.

The fighter was taking on a few dozen guys with machine guns and a flamethrower. Tony watched in amazement as the suited person took hit after hit without any damage to the armor. When the sword appeared, as if by magic in the suited person's hand, Tony about flipped his lid; this was extraordinary. _Who or what was this person? _Tony questioned himself. He thought he was the only suited hero out there. _Surely no one has been able to duplicate my type of suit, besides Obadiah?_ Then again, the armored figure down there bore little resemblance to him; it was something entirely different.

The dude was kicking some serious ass too, a well-trained fighter. He cut swiftly through his opponents and showed little hesitation. Tony grimaced inside his own armored suit as the warrior below managed to separate a few heads from their bodies. _Is this guy good or bad? What should I do? Should I interfere? _Tony now had so many questions that he couldn't keep track of them all in his head. The fighter on the ground was almost victorious over those he was battling, but in the blink of an eye, all that changed.

Suddenly, the swordsman was surrounded yet again, by another dozen men. He fought through a few of them, but then froze. The armor seemed to peel off and vanish into thin air, exposing the warrior and leaving him unprotected. That was when Tony realized that the armored man was not a man at all, but a woman. _Oh my God; this isn't real, _Tony's mind tried to deny the scene below. The armor covering the woman's body was totally gone, and the sword she had held too was gone; she was totally defenseless now. As Tony zoomed his vision further, he again thought he was going to die of shock; his breathe struck in his throat and his heart beat a funny, rapid rhythm. That was no stranger down there - it was Violet Devonshire. _Holy shit, _Tony thought.

Everything fell into place for Tony now; why she was on the run and why S.H.I.E.L.D. was interested in her. Then he observed with horror as she was struck twice by bullets; once in her left shoulder and once in her right. In an instant, without any conscious thought, he was surging downward to protect her, to stop the bad guys from killing her – well, he assumed they were the bad guys now. He released a good number of flares from his suit, temporarily blinding everyone as he swooped down. He let loose a barrage of fifty caliber rounds from one of his own sets of guns inside the suit. Bullets tore through the men surrounding Violet and mowed them down.

Tony landed soundly in front of Violet as she lay prone on the ground. She was bleeding quite badly and needed medical attention; he hoped none of her arteries had been hit. Being distracted by Violet's condition, he didn't see the guy launch the rocket-propelled grenade at him until it was too late. It exploded into Tony with such force that it blew him back into a huge metal container, which he ripped through. The guy with the RPG launcher thought he had won. Tony was back on his feet in no time, and he was silently thanking Jarvis for the new upgrades to the suit. It would need to be touched up, but it had protected him beautifully.

"Sorry, asshole, but you'll have to do better than that," Tony vented angrily. "Take this," and with that Tony raised his hand and fired off what was normally a flight stabilizer, but it also worked well as a Repulsor weapon when given a little extra charge from the mini Arc reactor in his chest. The guy never knew what hit him as he went flying back into a container just like Tony had, but his guy would not get up again - he was dead.

"Any more takers," Tony taunted the few remaining men. They quickly fled from before him. "Guess not," he commented wryly.

Now Tony noticed the eighty or so young girls crying hysterically. They had been shipped in here as human cargo; Tony felt himself go queasy at the thought. Violet must have come here to set them free, to save them from their monstrous fate; she was playing the hero. For some reason, that fueled his attraction to her even more. He quickly called the authorities from the cell phone linkup in his suit, reporting the girls' location and predicament. As soon as he heard the sirens, he gathered Violet into his arms and flew off into the night; not too fast, as Tony didn't want to hurt Violet further, but fast enough to do some good. He had to get her help and fast; she was bleeding pretty heavily. Her white, sleeveless blouse was almost completely stained with her blood.

"Her vitals are very faint, sir," Jarvis informed him after an initial scan.

"Get me Dr. Allen Briggs on the phone, and tell him to be at my house not now, but right now. Make sure you inform him that I have a multiple gunshot victim for him to attend to," Tony ordered his A.I.

Tony didn't want to risk Violet being found by whoever was hunting her, or S.H.I.E.L.D.; at least the latter until much later. Taking her to a hospital would raise too many questions, and since he was Iron Man right now, it would also create way too much publicity, and Pepper would kill him. His home would work just fine, if Dr. Briggs got there in time.

"Done, sir," Jarvis said about forty-five seconds later. "He is on his way. It seems he knows he owes you a favor."

"Yeah, I made sure a majority of Stark Industries' employees are referred to him for any cardio surgery they need," Tony informed Jarvis. "He has so many patients now, that he can retire a very rich man. I've even let him take a look at the magnet in my chest, and so he'll be making leaps and bounds in certain types of heart repair in the future."

"Are you sure that was a wise decision, sir?" Jarvis asked; the A.I. was clearly concerned.

Tony was quick to allay Jarvis worry about the mini Arc reactor technology that was also embedded in his chest. "Don't worry, Jarvis, I didn't talk to Dr. Briggs about anything to do with the Arc reactor. I only told him about Yinsen's ingenious electromagnet trick that is keeping the shrapnel from the explosive device from traveling into my heart. That could be something that could help a lot of heart patients. I know the Arc reactor is powering the magnet, but Dr. Briggs can probably come up with something on his own to solve the power problem."

"I see, sir. Well, I hope you are right," Jarvis' replied, but still seemed worried. His next function was to remind Tony why he had come to the port in the first place. "Are you forgetting something, sir?" he simply asked.

This question puzzled Tony for a second, and then realization dawned on him. "Oh shit, the weapons containers! I still have to blow 'em up!" he exclaimed.

He quickly, but carefully turned around, very aware of the precious cargo he was carrying and headed back to the dock. Jarvis pulled up each of the heat signatures for Tony on a screen in front of him inside his suit; they stood out loud and clear. After one last check for people, Tony gently held Violet to one side and his missile compartment opened up. He fired off twelve missiles, one for each main container target. He closed the compartment, readjusted Violet, and prepared to leave again. He watched for a few seconds as twelve containers, with about twenty crates in each exploded in great balls of fire. There was little or no damage done the surrounding pier and dock. Satisfied with his work, he took off for home once again.

Tony looked down at Violet; she was white as a sheet. Her coloring didn't look good to him at all. Her breathing was labored and she was unconscious. "Don't you dare die on me now, Miss Devonshire. We've only just met, and we have too much to discuss," he told her with mock sternness in his voice.

"Do you have any idea what happened down there, Jarvis?" Tony suddenly queried his A.I.

"I'm at a loss for any explanation, sir," Jarvis answered, sounding frustrated that he couldn't figure the situation out. "There is not enough data to extrapolate any kind of hypothesis."

Tony had another question. "What happened to her suit? I mean, where did her armor go?"

"Again, I do not know, sir. There is no sign of any of it on the ground, and she obviously isn't wearing it anymore. What we saw is impossible," Jarvis told Tony.

Violet's gasping for air, stopped the conversation cold. Tony redoubled his efforts to get home. "I'm not gonna let you die, sweetheart. You just hang on; we're almost there," he spoke softly to Violet. He really did hope he made it in time.

TBC

**Okay there it is. Now it's your turn to tell me what you think. How did I do? Good action scene or no? It only takes a few minutes to leave a review and you would have one happy author if you did. :)**


	5. Chapter 5: A Matter of Trust

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the rights to anything Iron Man, that right goes to Marvel Studios/Comics. I don't own any of the rights to anything dealing with the Witchblade, that right goes to Top Cow Productions. The only thing I claim as mine is any original characters I created and the plot of this particular story. No copy right infringement is meant. This is for fun and not for money.**

**Rated T: for language and a bit of romance**

**A/N: Sorry for the slight pause, but the story now continues, and if you read further you'll learn of Violet's fate. Also, I used this chapter to help bring in the villains from the Witchblade series more fully. I've mentioned them in previous chapters, but now they are actually participating in my little story. Then I had to have Tony and Violet love/hate each other; it's just too much fun to write. Oh, and Pepper is finally getting into this story too, in this chapter. I've been receiving a few more reviews and I'm so grateful to all of you who have. Please keep it up; and if anybody else feels inclined to leave an opinion, give into the inclination, please. Thanks!! Enjoy!**

**Thanks to RadcliffePotter for betaing and catching all of my ridiculous typos. She rocks!!**

**Chapter 5**

**A Matter of Trust**

Kenneth Irons sat at his exquisitely carved, mahogany desk in his office at Vorschlag Industries in Manhattan, New York almost coming apart at the seams, his fury was so great. No one would have known that, however, from the way he was sitting, composed with his arms leaning on the desk and his hands steepled in front of him. Almost unseen, a little to his right, was a kneeling figure dressed all in black. Ian Nottingham knelt at his master's side in complete subservience, not letting himself move a muscle or make a single noise. He could feel the flaming rage that was consuming his master; it would unwise to disturb him in any way, until he was ready to speak.

Irons' office was cold, like he was. It was all very modern and sterile looking, except for the great masterworks of art he had displayed around the office that sat atop the tall Vorschlag Industries corporate headquarters building. A few of the paintings showed great battle scenes from days long ago, and at the center of each was the Witchblade. Irons' designed the building to be imposing and intimidating, and it rivaled the vastness of Stark Industries' main complex. Irons could gaze down at the beautiful plaza below and watch the people and vehicles making their way through the crowded streets of New York City.

Finally, after an eternity, he spoke. "How could they have failed?! How could I have lost her yet again?! The set up at the dock was supposed to be foolproof. The Witchblade even abandoned her in the heat of battle. She should have been easily captured," he said with a voice trembling in barely held back wrath. He spoke with a very cultured voice. His accent was hard to place; it sounded part British, part American, with some other European influences thrown in.

"I do not know, my master. All I can do is apologize for not being there myself, and accept whatever punishment you deem fit to inflict upon me," Nottingham's voice was low, but he too sounded like he was well-educated and well-traveled.

Irons considered his kneeling servant with cold, gray-blue eyes. "The fault was not yours, Ian. I sent you on another, almost as important errand, that you accomplished with great accuracy. No, you did not fail me; Greggor and Stefan did. They left too soon. They will be the ones who wished their mothers had never given birth to them," Irons told his loyal servant.

Nottingham was more than Irons' trusty bodyguard; he was everything Irons needed in a right-hand man. He did whatever Irons wanted, whenever Irons wanted. He rarely questioned his master's actions, and when he did, it was usually with a damn good reason that made Irons even gladder to have him by his side. He took care of any problems or obstacles in Irons' way, he protected him, and he killed with great stealth and little conscience.

"Yes, master," was all Nottingham said in response, through he was secretly relieved that Irons' anger was not directed at him.

"Time is running out," Irons said, suddenly changing topic slightly. "I can only get so much more usable DNA from Sara Pezzini's corpse. It will soon be a dry well, and then the rapid aging will set in again. I need the blood of the current wielder of the Witchblade if I am to survive."

Nottingham did not look up at his master; he always kept his head bowed. "What would you have me do?"

Irons considered Nottingham's words for a long time. He had cleverly switched bodies with Sara Pezzini's body while it lay at the mortuary, before it was embalmed, and had it cryogenically frozen to be able to use her DNA to continue to make the serum that allowed him to stay young and alive. The Witchblade had originally given him the extended lifespan, but with each passing year without it by his side, he had begun to age, and sometimes very rapidly at that, as if all the time he had stolen was now in turn being taken back from him. He had found that the blood of a wielder, when combined with a few other miracle drugs, stabilized him. He could use the blood of a dead wielder for only so long though, and then he needed new blood, so to speak.

"We have a very serious problem now, however," Irons finally spoke again. "She has found shelter, a safe haven. I should have anticipated that the Witchblade would seek out a protector of sorts. This Anthony Stark, or Iron Man, as he likes to parade around as, is an unexpected and troubling complication. I find it very compelling that the Witchblade picked him to help. Anthony Stark has never been much of a threat, even though his technical genius has been at times inconvenient. His lack of caring, concern, and responsibility for how his company does business, however, has always been welcome. Somehow his experience in Afghanistan has changed him, and not in our favor. He must be eliminated, and I must have Violet Devonshire in my possession."

"Do you wish me to kill Tony Stark for you, master?" Nottingham now asked, glancing subtlety at his master while still staying in his bowed position.

Irons had a very cruel and calculating smile on his face. He now had something he could vent his anger against. "Yes, Ian, I want Tony Stark eliminated, but it must be done carefully and subtly. His death cannot be linked back to you or myself. I'm sure we can find someone who hates him as much as I do, and get them to do our work for us. Stark's company has stood in my way for too long. If we bring him down now, while he is without an heir to take over for him, his company will fall. It will be divided among its board of directors, and then I can step in and take over. And I can at last have Violet Devonshire for myself."

"It will be done on your order, master," Nottingham replied, and he smiled an equally wicked and sinister smile.

* * *

Violet was in and out of consciousness many times. Each time she was semi-conscious she could hear voices around her, and once in a while she caught a snippet of what was being said. Her brain was slow to process the actual words, however.

_"She's lost a lot of blood."_

"_I'll start an IV for a transfusion. I've typed her blood and she's A positive."_

"_Will she be all right?"_

"_Is this a joke?"_

"_What?"_

"_Her wounds, they've sealed themselves."_

"_I thought you said the bullets passed all the way through; that she'd have to be sewn up?"_

"_I did."_

"_You went out again on a mission without telling me."_

"_I'm sorry, Miss Potts, I didn't have time for a lecture."_

"_Why did you bring her here? This is a problem you don't need, Mr. Stark."_

"_Relax, Pepper, it's not what you're thinking."_

"_Her bracelet won't come off; it's almost like it's attached to her."_

"_Is it glowing or am I seeing things?"_

"_Violet, can you hear me?"_

"_Is she in a comma?"_

"_I've never seen anything like this before."_

"_You're safe, Violet; you're safe."_

All the words ran together and seemed to fade in and out; getting louder and then softer. Finally, they stopped all together as she succumbed to the darkness for a while. She awoke, much later, as if from a trance. Where was she? What had happened? Slowly and shakily, reality came back to her. She was surrounded by something soft and smooth feeling. Her feet felt bare and that confused her; she never went out anywhere without shoes.

At last her eyes opened and focused for her. She was in a large, king-sized bed that had creamy silk sheets on it. Even the blankets were soft to the touch and felt cool, instead of warm to her. The pillow her head rested on was downy soft as well. She felt like purring; it felt so nice. She went to stretch and turn when a sharp pain made her stop and hiss. Why did she hurt so badly, and all over at that? She looked down at herself and found that she was wearing a low-cut, short, thin-strapped, creamy silk nightgown that matched the color of the sheets. She then glanced around her, trying to make out more of the room she was in. The walls were white. The floor was a beautiful, light colored hardwood. The windows seemed to take up the entire wall to her left, but they were blindless or curtainless. Instead, they were tinted and made opaque so Violet didn't know if it was day or night. Where the hell was she?

"Ah, you're awake, Miss Devonshire," a voice said, coming out of nowhere and everywhere startling her so much that she almost fell off the bed. Feeling vulnerable and exposed, Violet pulled the sheets and blankets up and around her. The voice had a funny British accent to it. Violet looked all around the room and saw no one. Who had spoken to her just now?

"Who are you? Where are you?" she more rasped than said; her throat was dry and scratchy.

"I'm Jarvis," the voice said simply, as if that explained everything. "I'll inform Mr. Stark that you've regained consciousness."

Violet felt like someone had hit her over the head with a two by four. She didn't think she had heard the voice correctly. "Could you repeat what you just said please?" she asked tentatively.

The voice answered her swiftly with, "I said that I needed to let Mr. Stark know that you are awake." Violet was very aware that the voice had changed its vocabulary, like it was talking to a child.

She was in Tony Stark's home, in his bed. _Oh God, how did this happen? How did I wind up here? I can't remember, _Violet's mind was racing with these thoughts. All she could remember was that she had been trying to stay away from Tony Stark; that she needed to put a lot of distance between herself and him. This was very, very bad. Violet felt panic start to wash over her in a heady wave, threatening to drown her. She couldn't breath, her muscles froze, her heart skipped a few beats, and she almost passed out, again. She wanted to tell the voice not to call Stark, not to let him know she was awake and in his bed, but her voice failed her. She tried to will her body to move, to run, to get away, but the freezing panic wouldn't let her.

"He is on his way up from his workshop," the proper British voice informed the paralyzed Violet. _Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, _was all Violet could think. She didn't know how she was going to do this. How was she going to face the snarky bastard? White hot fear spiked through her veins.

It took Tony Stark only a few minutes to come through the door to the bedroom, like some terrifying monster from a child's nightmare. Violet was not prepared for the sight of him. All the press pictures she'd seen of him and the one time in person she'd seen him, he was dressed to kill; perfect suit or tux, perfect hair, and perfect shoes. He had been a picture perfect GQ model. That was not the sight that greeted Violet now. He was dressed in blue jeans that looked like they had seen better days and a gray T-shirt that looked like it was from a U-2 concert tour or something to that effect. It was stained here and there with grease and dirt. Stark's hair was mussed up as well. He appeared so normal, so down-to-earth, like the mechanic next door.

"Hey, you _are_ awake," he said in way of greeting to her. "It is nice to see you conscious again, Miss Devonshire."

Ah, hell, he knew her real name. Violet felt like she was going to float away; she was hyperventilating. She fell back into the soft and downy pillows; overwhelmed.

"Whoa!" Tony exclaimed as he picked up on her distress and watched her fall backward. He rushed to the side of the bed. "You okay?" he then asked softly.

Violet couldn't answer; her throat had closed off. She started to choke and cough. "I think she may need some water, sir," Jarvis said attempting to help.

"Oh, right," Tony said as he caught onto what Jarvis was suggesting. He quickly walked over to his dresser where a large crystalline pitcher sat, filled with ice water; Pepper had put it there just a few hours ago. The plate it set on kept it cold and frosty. Tony took an equally crystalline, short, round glass from the dresser and poured some of the refreshing water into it. He swiftly returned to Violet's side and sat down on the bed, mere inches from her.

"Here, drink this. It'll help," he told her gently. He went to help her sit up so she could sip the water without it spilling all over her, but Violet jumped at his touch like he had burned her. He almost dropped the glass of water, but he miraculously managed to hang onto it. "It's okay, Violet. You really are safe here. You're among friends," he tried to calm her down; talking to her like she was a skittish colt.

Violet grabbed the water from his hand and gulped it down greedily. She tried to have as little contact with Stark as she could. She still couldn't remember how or why she gotten here; it terrified her. "Thank you," she finally managed, referring to the water. She would not look Tony in the eye. She started shaking then and dropped the glass. Tony expertly caught it and placed it on a nearby nightstand.

Then suddenly, she was in his arms, in a comforting hug. He placed her head on his shoulder and rubbed soothing circles on her back with his hands and fingers. Her first instinct was to fight him, to try and get away, so she did, but she was too weak. He scooted closer to her and held her tighter, trying to discourage her. Violet's exhausted body gradually let itself relax into his embrace. He smelled like motor oil, but it only added to calm her more. That was when the dam inside her burst open. Huge, wet drops leaked out of her eyes and great sobs overcame her; she couldn't stop herself from crying. She felt him only tighten his embrace once again, holding her closer, and rubbing her back more urgently. He rested his chin on her head.

"This was not the reaction I was going for, but at least I won't get another goose egg from it," Tony tried to lightly joke with her.

Violet just sobbed harder; gut-wrenching and whole-body sobs. She felt her own hands reach up and rest against Tony's chest, needing to touch him now. His hands on her back were strong and very warm. His chest felt funny to her; it wasn't smooth and even under the T-shirt like she thought it would be. Right over his heart, it seemed to rise up and become rough. Whatever it was obstructed her hands from continuing to slide up to his shoulders. What was it? Her curiosity overcame her emotional turmoil for a second, and she looked down to see what it was. She could just make out a good-sized circle in the middle of his chest, and to her surprise, it seemed to glow, even through his shirt. What had happened to him?

Tony knew Violet's hands had reached his mini Arc reactor; the device that was keeping him alive. He had been savoring the sensation of her touch until then; he was very self-conscious of the device in front of strangers. Pepper was used to it; hell he had had her help him install an upgrade to it - twice. She had taken it all in stride, but that was because she was his employee and had too. Rhodey had seemed okay with it too, but it was different when he was with a woman he was attracted to, someone who didn't know him like the others did. One of the reasons his womanizing had died down was he was very afraid to have anyone see it; it wasn't normal. He no longer felt like the debonair, sexy Tony Stark he had been months ago. When he had taken Violet in his arms he hadn't been even thinking about the device, but now he was extremely aware of it.

Finally, Violet's tear streaked face turned up to look at him. She said nothing about the circle embedded in his chest; to which he was very grateful. Her eyes were still watery and a little bloodshot, but their sapphire blue was electrical. Tony couldn't help the shiver that ran up his spine as he took them in; they had a very hypnotic effect on him. Then she spoke, "I'm sorry, Stark." Her voice was barely a whisper, but he heard her.

"Sorry for what?" he asked confused.

"I don't know – for everything or for nothing," she said softly. "I can't remember how I got here." Violet hated to admit this, but he was the only one she had right now to explain things to her.

"Really?" he asked her. "You don't remember what happened at the pier?"

Violet looked at him again and he could see the terror in her eyes. "No, everything is blank about how and why I'm here, Stark." She gestured weakly with one of her hands in a circling motion.

"So you don't recall saving all those poor little girls from becoming part of the illegal slave trade," Tony decided not beat around the bush with her.

Images flashed through Violet's mind then: fire, blood, bullets, crying girls' faces, and death. "Oh God, what have I done?" Violet asked as panic began to set in again. Tony felt her resume to struggle once more.

"Hey, hey, it's okay, Violet. You didn't do anything wrong. You saved a lot of lives the other night," he tried to soothe her. When she only became more agitated, he took her face in his hands and made her look at him. "Take deep breaths and relax," he ordered gently. "I can tell you what I know, and then maybe you can fill in the rest of the blanks from there."

Violet squirmed a bit more, but the instant her eyes met his, she regained some control over herself. His eyes were so dark; again they were so much kinder than she would ever have imagined, and this time she could tell they had seen a lot of heartache too. His face was only inches from hers now. Her breath caught in her throat and her heart pounded in her ears. Her mind caught hold of the kiss they had shared a few nights ago. A desirable heat washed through her veins then; she wanted him to kiss her again. She started to lean forward, to let it happen, but then snapped back and pulled out of his hands. "Please don't," she demanded forcefully.

"Don't what?" he suddenly challenged her.

"I know your reputation, Stark," Violet told him as a surprisingly comforting anger beginning to help her be more assertive, to resist this seduction. "I'm not some cheap, little floozy you can win over with a few smiles and captivating pick up lines."

"I never thought you were cheap," he came back at her with. "And if you know my reputation, you know I always get what I want." He couldn't resist teasing her; something about her just brought it out of him. He liked to needle her; it was too much fun not to.

Violet just gawked at him. "Sorry to ruin your reputation then, Playboy, but this time you're not going to get what you want; not from me at least," she said hotly.

Tony grinned boyishly at her now. For all her words, she hadn't moved very far away. "I'm not?" He feigned not understanding.

"No," Violet said defiantly, "you're not." She attempted to slide out of the bed on the other side, away from Tony Stark, but her body protested them movement. Pain in her shoulders shot through her and doubled her over; this cause her to stumble and fall onto the floor.

Tony was at her side in an instant. "That was brilliant," he told her when he was certain she was all right. Again, it was said in a teasing manner; he wanted to get a heated reaction out of her. It only added to her appeal. "You were shot twice you know."

Violet just stared at him with her mouth open and her cheeks turning a nice shade of red. "I was what?!" she hollered at him.

"You took a bullet to each shoulder, my dear. You really shouldn't be alive, let alone able to walk and talk so gracefully," Tony explained to her, being slightly sarcastic.

That was when it all came rushing back to her. The Witchblade had shown her the vision of the enslaved, young girls and she had gone back to L.A. to free them. She now remembered fighting off dozens for armed men using the powers of the Witchblade. She had been pushing them back, defeating them, and then….what happened? Her memory became fuzzy again. She looked at the Witchblade still on her right wrist, back in its bracelet disguise; it was curiously and maddeningly silent. The realization then slammed into her as she recalled that the Witchblade had abandoned her. It deactivated itself, refused to be called upon, and left her defenseless. The gunfire had kept coming, but she had no protection against it, and she knew bullets had pierced her body.

She came back to the fearsome realization again; the Witchblade had abandoned her; turned its back on her and left her to fend for herself. Why? She had been doing what it wanted. Surely Violet didn't deserve for it to be _that_ angry with her. It wouldn't consciously want to help her end her life, would it? Violet was so confused, so lost, and now she was in a heap on the floor of Tony Stark's bedroom. Why was she being humiliated so?

Violet's reverie was broke when she felt Stark's arms slip around her again; under her legs and across her back. He picked her up and gently placed her back on the bed, against the downy soft pillows. "You all right, Violet?" His use of her first name startled her, even though this was the second time he'd used it. His face had a very worried expression on it.

"I think so," she finally replied. "I think my memory just came back."

"Well, if the expression on your gorgeous face is any indication of what you're remembering, it must not be pleasant," Tony said, sitting down on the bed again.

"No, it's not," was all Violet would say in return. "And stop it."

"Stop what?" he asked innocently.

"You know damn well what, Stark," Violet said feeling flustered again. "Trying to charm me."

Tony took one of her hands in his and raised it to his lips to give it a soft and quick kiss; his well-groomed facial hair tickled the sensitive skin on her hand. "I've only gotten started," his voice had grown very suggestive. He should be finding out about what had really happened at the port, but the man in him was making other plans.

Violet had had enough of his teasing and innuendo. She tried to draw her hand back, out of his, but he wouldn't let her. She then decided to slap him with her other hand, but he caught it before she could land the blow. He pulled her in close to his body again and eyed her lips hungrily.

"You try and kiss me, Stark, and I'll bite your tongue off," she hissed at him; excited and frightened at the same time.

"I'm willing to take that risk for one taste of you," he responded very huskily now. His lips descended upon hers, and he kissed her as if he were the one dying of thirst, drinking her in, like she had the refreshing glass of cold water. Any thought Violet had of biting his tongue off, completely vanished as his kiss radiated throughout her body. She felt a tug low in her belly as she began to return the kiss in earnest.

It had been a very long time since she had been with any man. She had forgotten how good it could feel. But no man had ever kissed her the way Tony Stark was kissing her now. It so full of passion that Violet couldn't believe it. Even as her mind still wanted to resist, her body turned traitor on her and welcomed the pleasure this man was giving her. For Tony, it had been far too long since he had been with a woman, and this one blew his mind. She was like a year's worth of the Maxim cover girls all at once; so full of desire and life that his head was swimming with each kiss they shared. He wanted more; he wanted all of her now.

His hands slid around her back and pressed her more fully against him, trying to get more contact with her. Then one of his hands slid down to find her thigh; her skin was very warm and soft under his fingers. He was now glad that he had asked Pepper to put her in this particular, short nightgown. She responded to him by slipping her arms around his neck; one hand gliding into his hair; her touch making him moan. _God, it's been too long,_ Tony thought absently. He totally forgot about his earlier apprehension concerning the device in his chest; right now it didn't matter. The couple was so into each other that neither of them heard the sharp clicking of high-heeled shoes as they entered the room.

"So this is not what I'm thinking it is?" came the distinct and unhappy voice of Virginia "Pepper" Potts. "It seems it's exactly what I thought it was."

Tony abruptly stopped kissing Violet and broke away from her. He had gone almost white, whereas Violet had gone beet red. "Pepper, this really isn't what it looks like," he tried to say.

Pepper snorted. "Well, you could've fooled me, Mr. Stark," she told him in a clipped tone.

Tony looked at Violet, suddenly very ashamed of himself. Here he had meant to try and help her, but instead he was in middle of seducing her into his bed, literally. That was more something like the old Tony Stark would do. He needed to get a grip on himself; for his sake and for poor Violet's.

"Outside, now, Miss Potts," he barked and headed out of the bedroom, expecting his trusty assistant to follow him.

He stopped only when he got to his large, circular living room, downstairs on the main floor. He could hear the soft sounds of the waterfall behind him. Pepper, to her credit, had followed him and stopped a few feet away. Her hands went to her hips and she looked at him expectantly. Tony silently wondered how he was going to get out of it this time.

"I didn't mean for that to happen, Miss Potts. But one thing led to --," he started to explain, but Pepper cut him off.

"One thing led to you putting your tongue down her throat?" Pepper interrupted angrily; Tony didn't miss her very miffed tone.

"That's a crude way of putting it, but yes, Miss Potts, I got a little carried away. She's an enticing woman, and I couldn't help but admire that as a male," he answered Pepper trying to sound in control of the situation and not ruffled by her reaction. He decided to turn it back on her. "Why, are you jealous, Miss Potts?"

Pepper had been about to rant at him some more, when his question hit her. Her expression went fearful for a second, before she slid a stoic mask down over her entire face. Little did her boss know that was awfully close to the truth. "I've never been jealous of any of the women you've chosen to corral around with, so why would I be now, Mr. Stark? What you do privately is none of my concern. I just thought that maybe you'd grown up a little bit, after all you've been through; apparently, I was wrong."

Violet had carefully and silently gotten out of the king-sized bed and patted barefoot to the bedroom door. Stark and his assistant hadn't closed it all the way, and so Violet could listen in on their conversation as their voices drifted upstairs. It helped her to compose herself as she heard Tony Stark getting chewed out.

"It wouldn't be the first time," Tony told Pepper his own anger rising. "And you're wrong now. I brought Miss Devonshire here to help her. Jarvis can testify to exactly the condition I found her in, and that she needed immediate medical attention. I told you why I couldn't just drop her off at the hospital. She was ambushed at the docks; somebody's after her, I just know it. I didn't want to leave her exposed and at any hunter's mercy. I was attempting to get her to trust me, to talk to me, just now. She woke up terrified and confused. And I really need to find out about the amazing armor she had on," he added the last part on as an afterthought.

"So you decided to try and sleep with her to put her at ease?" Pepper queried, still not satisfied with his answer.

Violet was stunned; Stark had seen her and the Witchblade in action, and then when the Witchblade cast her off, he'd rescued her? He thought the whole situation was a set up? Well, the shipment had been labeled with a Vorschlag Industries label. She was starting to have the feeling that she had been manipulated once again by the ancient weapon. Violet wanted to be angry; but strangely she wasn't. She was almost relieved; if the Witchblade used such desperate measures to get Violet here, in Stark's mansion, then maybe she should take it seriously now. And maybe it hadn't truly abandoned her after all.

"That was not my original plan, no," Tony snapped at Pepper. "Every time I get near her, it's like I'm bewitched or something, but my gut is telling me she's in big trouble and needs help. I really only want to do the right thing and offer to help her. It's the least I can do." His tone softened considerably as he spoke. "Believe me, Pepper, I know how selfish I've been all these years. It's time I reached out and helped somebody else. Yinsen did it for me in Afghanistan when I wholly didn't deserve his help or his sacrifice. If I want to honor his memory, I need to follow his example."

Pepper just stared at her friend and boss; too shocked for words. Tony never mentioned what had really happened to him during the time he was a terrorist group's hostage for three months. To hear him talk of it now, floored her. And what came out of his mouth was something she never thought she'd hear; it was deep, insightful, and totally from his heart. She knew he meant what he said, that he was genuine and sincere, and it drained all her earlier anger completely away. She couldn't blame Tony for being a man; and he _had_ been remarkably restrained lately. She just wished it was her that he found so bewitching. She had to push thoughts like that away; she and Tony would never work like that together. It was just too complicated.

"Forgive me for jumping to conclusions then," she finally said when she found her voice. "Is there anything that you or Miss Devonshire require, or will that be all, Mr. Stark?" Her manner had become all business-like again.

"I'll get back to you about that, Miss Potts," Tony told her softly. "I need to go and try and salvage the situation with Miss Devonshire first, if you don't mind." With that he slowly made his way back to his bedroom.

Violet heard him coming back and wrestled with what she should do. A part of her really wanted to let him help her; she needed help so badly, but that would mean staying put, and that meant the risk of starting to care. She didn't want to care; she didn't want to feel. Tony Stark would make her feel way too much. As he came through the door, she swung out at him, slapping him soundly across the face. It was a hard slap, and the sound of it echoed throughout the room with a very sharp noise. Tony stumbled back shocked and physically feeling its sting.

"Ow!" he cried out. "What the hell was that for?"

"Taking advantage of my weakened condition, and taking liberties you shouldn't have taken," she found herself almost yelling at him.

"Hey, it takes two to tango," he came back at her with, recovering quickly from her powerful slap. "You were as into it as I was," he said pointing at her and then himself.

"If I was in my right mind, I wouldn't have been," she said defensively.

Tony couldn't believe how hot and cold this woman could be; one minute she was pure fire, all-consuming, and then the next she was a cold as ice, pushing him away. He found that he liked that about her; she was unpredictable. Just when he thought he couldn't be more attracted to her, she found a new way to get under his skin. He had never wanted a woman the way he wanted Violet. The fact that she was such a mystery only deepened his desire to be with her. He started to walk closer to her, invade her personal space.

"Oh, I think you know exactly what you're doing, Miss Devonshire," he taunted her.

What was wrong with this guy? Didn't he ever give up? She didn't want to let him in or be intimate with him, but yet she did. The more he pissed her off, the more she liked him; it was stupid, but true. "I'm not going to do this, Stark. I can't. I just can't," she whispered as she collapsed to her knees in defeat. She was not going to start crying again; she wasn't.

"You've got to trust someone, Violet," Tony said, suddenly turning serious. "I'm sure you heard what I said to Pepper just a minute ago." He was indicating he knew she had eavesdropped on their conversation. "I really do want to help you, if you'll let me. I'll lay off the flirtatious antics if you'll give me the chance to prove to you that I can and will help you." He then dropped to his knees across from her. "Please, let me," he pleaded.

Violet didn't know what to say. By looking in his eyes, she knew he wasn't put on an act or feigning sincerity; he meant what he said. "Stark, I can't. I can--," she said in despair.

"Yes, you can, sweetheart," he interrupted her. "All you have to do is agree to let me. I don't know what has brought you to such a dark place, but I've been there, and I know you can come back, because I did. I was able to because someone reached out to me when I needed it, and I let him change my point of view. Give me one chance; that's all I'm asking." Tony took one of her hands in his and just held it. "You don't have to go through whatever it is you're going through alone," he told her softly, now squeezing her hand gently, reassuringly.

She took a deep breath and bit her lip. Tony could tell she was fighting some internal battle and it was a powerful one. Finally, in a very small voice, she said, "Okay."

Relief and exhilaration shot through Tony; he'd finally won her over. She had agreed to let him help her; now he hoped he could really pull that off. "Thank you," he said with real gratitude.

"Don't thank me, Stark," she now said more forcefully. "You just may have bitten off more than you can chew this time. Now can I have some real clothes and maybe something to eat?" She suddenly changed topics, trying to kill the moment.

Tony had to bite back a smart-alecky remark about him liking her dressed just the way she was. He said instead, "I'll see what I can do, and then you and I need to have a serious talk about what's going on."

"No shit, Sherlock," Violet now returned to her snarky attitude; it was her defense mechanism, "and to think that people call _you _a genius."

TBC

**There you go. You know what to do. Good chapter, bad chapter, or what? Bundles of thanks go to Nyeht, SatinBeige, fennecfox03, rebirthfry, 00 BodySnatcher, Morgomir, SpottedHeart2646, and RadcliffePotter for all of your kind reviews. You people are the awesomest. Please continue your encouragement. I really appreciate it. :)**


	6. Chapter 6: Coming Clean

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own any of the rights to anything Iron Man, that right goes to Marvel Studios/Comics. I don't own any of the rights to anything dealing with the Witchblade, that right goes to Top Cow Productions. The only thing I claim as mine is any original characters I created and the plot of this particular story. No copy right infringement is meant. This is for fun and not for money.**

**Rated T: For language**

**A/N: This is just a little getting-to-know-you chapter. Tony is dying to find out about Violet's "magical" armor. Pepper is involved as well, as Violet reveals her secret, letting them both know about the Witchblade. I tried to keep Tony and Pepper in character and that is not easy, let me tell you. I'm also using this chapter to help Tony come up with a way to get Violet to stick around for a while. I think what I came up with works.**

**RadcliffePotter you are my angel beta reader! Thanks for fixing my mistakes!**

**Oh, and for Nyeht, I finally used your suggestion and have Tony explain how he ended up in the awards room at Hugh Hefner's birthday party and managed to catch Violet in the act of stealing. Thanks to the rest of you who have been reviewing; I just love it! You guys deserve to have your wishes granted. I'd love to hear from more of you. Just tell me what you think. Readers rock!! Reviewers rock solid gold!! Have fun reading and reviewing. :)**

**-Ladyhawke Legend**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

**Coming Clean**

A few hours later, Violet sat, feeling rather awkward, on Tony Stark's beautiful plush circular couch that contoured perfectly to the curvature of the circular living room. It was clean and lightly tan. An exquisite, black and gold, baby grand piano sat not too far away on a slightly raised platform in a little alcove. It looked brand new from the way it gleamed and shone in the sunlight that now filled the entire room. Stark had reset the windows to allow the afternoon sun to come streaming into the circular living room; they were like the ones in Stark's bedroom, having no blinds or curtains, just adjustable tinting. The windows went almost all the way around the room, giving someone an almost one hundred eighty degree view of the surroundings outside. Those were equally stunning as those inside the mansion, for it sat perched on a cliff overlooking the Malibu shoreline.

As Violet continued to take in all the aspects of this wonder of architecture, her eyes fell upon the waterfall/fountain type decoration along the wall where a staircase split, disappearing down into the ground, and going up to the second floor. Violet figured down below must be where Stark's workshop was located. The waterfall was just gorgeous, and its soft rain-like sound brought a feeling of peace to the room. It was a marvel that Violet couldn't quite get her head around, but then so was the owner of this unique mansion.

Tony had showered and changed since he had convinced Violet to let him help her. He still wasn't back in a suit, but the khaki slacks he had on with a white button up shirt, made Stark a striking sight. He had combed his hair, and it was still a little wet. Violet was doing her best not to stare at him; she didn't want to feed his ego any more than she already had. He was damn good looking, however. Violet had been treated to a wonderful creamy, pasta salad lunch thanks to Pepper. Violet too, had decided to shower; the warm water helped her cramped muscles and sore shoulders.

She still couldn't believe she had been shot twice, even though she now remembered it happening in all its horrific detail. The Witchblade was still eerily silent and inactive, but it obviously had helped heal her; that was the only explanation for the rapid disappearance of her injuries. Violet had gratefully changed out of the revealing nightgown and into some designer blue jeans and a short-sleeved red shirt. The shirt fit her a little snuggly, but flared out a bit at the bottom, so she didn't have to tuck it in. It had fun swirly patterns that ran throughout it. Pepper had done an excellent job judging her style and size. Violet also had on brand-new, flashy red, high-heeled sandals that fastened in criss-crosses over her feet.

Violet looked over at Miss Pepper Potts, whom Tony had asked to join them in their little chat. He had thought about calling Rhodey as well, but then thought better of it; Violet was spooked enough. She didn't need Mr. Military Man riding her right now. Pepper was the only one dressed formally for business; she had on a sharply cut black and white suit coat with matching knee-length skirt with very high, black, high-heeled shoes that fastened around her ankles. Pepper had warmed up a little to Violet over lunch, talking to Violet about her job as Tony Stark's personal assistant. It sounded like Pepper completely ran Stark's life, and that without her, he'd be up shit creek without a paddle. It was nice to know that some woman had power over Tony Stark.

"Well," Pepper decided to start out, designating herself as a moderator, "who wants to go first?"

"I think my story is self-evident," Tony said, sitting forward a little on the couch. Violet sat almost directly in the middle of the semi-circle because he had chosen to sit close to one end; she was still trying to keep her distant from him. "I, for one, am dying to hear Violet's story."

Pepper caught Violet's wince at Tony's use of her first name. Knowing how her boss could be, she chose to intervene a little. "Do you feel up to talking about yourself, Miss Devonshire?" Pepper purposely used Violet's last name as a hint to Tony. She looked meaningfully at him too. He just shrugged nonchalantly at back at her.

"I suppose I need to say something," Violet replied looking at Pepper and not Tony. "I really don't know where to start, however."

"How about you tell us a little about your magically appearing and disappearing armor?" Tony asked before Pepper could respond to Violet's difficulty.

Violet's baby blue eyes went wide at his question and she visibly gulped. She played with a lose strand of hair that had come out of the pony tail she had thrown her long, brunette locks into. Pepper could feel her distress and wanted to box Tony's ears for his impatience.

"Just start with the basics," Pepper told her gently, giving her a reassuring look. At first, Pepper had been jealous of Violet and had almost passed her off as another one of Tony's trophy girls, but the more she was around the young woman; the more Pepper realized how much she had misjudged her. Tony was the one being the player here, not Violet. Violet seemed very lost and lonely to Pepper, and Tony's approach was not helping, so Pepper was stepping in. "How did you survive your wounds? I saw you when Mr. Stark first had me escort Dr. Briggs back to treat you. Let's just say it looked pretty bad."

Violet appreciated Pepper's candor and demeanor; it helped her relax and find her words. "I guess the easiest way to explain it is to show you this," Violet spoke softly and tentatively as she brought up her right wrist to show them both. She had never before really talked about the Witchblade with anyone; at least not fully, except Irons, and he didn't count. It felt funny to be talking about it so openly with people, especially ones she'd just met, but the Witchblade didn't seem to be trying to prevent it; the ancient artifact was still remaining mysteriously quiet.

"And I take it that's not just a fashion statement you're showing us?" Pepper queried lightly.

This remark got Violet to give her a small and brief smile. "That would be a correct assumption, yes," Violet then told her. "It is called the Witchblade or _Digitabulum Magae_ in Latin."

"That means "Glove of the Witch or Witch's Glove" in good old American English," Tony threw in. He knew his Latin, quite well in fact.

Violet tried not to gape at him; it shouldn't surprise her that Stark was very well-educated and not just in technological matters. His wealthy and rich upbringing most likely insured it. "That's right," Violet finally spoke to him. "It may look like an ordinary woman's fashion accessory; it is, however, anything but. In fact, the thing can be downright aggravating sometimes."

"What is it exactly?" Tony couldn't help but ask. He had edged closer to get a better look at what was resting on Violet's wrist. "Dr. Briggs tried everything he could to get it off when he was working on you. Obviously he failed; it wouldn't come off. He said it was like it was attached to you, almost part of you. How is that possible?"

That surprised and relieved Violet further. If the Witchblade had truly decided to abandon her, it would have come off her wrist easily. The ancient weapon must still want her to be its wielder and must be trying to teach her some kind of lesson; although, it was a lesson that Violet did not want to learn. "How can I say this without sounding completely insane?" Violet then asked a rhetorical question. "The Witchblade is more than a weapon, more than the gauntlet it truly is; it is a living entity with a mind of its own. I am its chosen wielder until my time is done and it finds another."

"Are you saying that thing on your wrist is _alive_?" Pepper asked incredulously.

Violet felt herself blush; she knew they wouldn't belief her. "I can't explain how or why, but yes, it is alive, and it has a distinct and powerful personality. It has its own will and mission to fulfill through its wielder."

"That little hunk of metal is a weapon?" Tony asked in disbelief. "Is that part of the armor I saw you wearing?" he then questioned as realization started to dawn on him, but not fully. He was captivated by what Violet was saying, even if it did sound like she should be locked up in a loony bin.

"Kind of," Violet said hesitantly. "It isn't part of the armor, Stark; it _is_ the armor."

Now it was Tony's turned to stare at her with his mouth open. How in the world could that be possible? What was this Witchblade?

Violet went on with her explanation, "When it's active it covers my hand like a metal glove and gauntlet. That's what it really looks like and is. The red, ruby-like crystal in the center here," she fingered it gently as she spoke, "acts like its eye. It can be open or shut, and it usually glows when it's active. It only looks like a bracelet when it's trying to disguise itself. Now if a serious threat arises, then it expands itself into impenetrable armor that covers my whole body, which I guess somehow you saw, Stark."

Tony was blown away by what she was saying; it was impossible, just like Jarvis had said. "I was down at the port checking out a shipment of my weapons that shouldn't have been there, when I heard gunfire. I found you in full battle mode, and at first I thought you were a man. I was quickly corrected and flabbergasted to find out that you were a lady, and especially to find out that you were _my_ lady thief from the other evening." He smiled slyly at her as he said the last part.

Violet tried not to react, but that smile sent tingles throughout her body; she flashed back to the kiss they shared then and the ones in his bedroom, just a short while ago. She had to at least give it to him that he sure knew how to kiss. _Stop thinking like that, you dolt,_ Violet chastised herself. _You can't seriously be falling for his nice guy routine, can you?_

Pepper couldn't help but frown at this new information. She hadn't known that the night at the docks wasn't the first time he'd met this woman. What else was her boss keeping from her? She filed it away for use and discussion later.

Tony suddenly had a multitude of questions for Violet. "What kind metal is that thing made out of? How does it work? How did you end up with it? Can anyone use it? How do you control it?"

"Whoa there, Rusty Shorts, slow down." Pepper's comment stopped his barrage of questions as quickly as they had begun.

"What did you just call me, Miss Potts?" he asked turning his full attention back to her. She had strategically placed herself sitting in between Tony's and Violet's positions; to ease Violet's skittishness around Tony.

"You heard me, Mr. Stark," Pepper said, acting very innocent.

Tony just stared at her. Had she just made a joke about his being Iron Man? Where in the hell had she gotten Rusty Shorts from? He liked it and actually let out a short chuckle. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that, Miss Potts," he said, but he winked at her.

"Thank you, Mr. Stark. I would appreciate that. I think that would be for the best," Pepper replied, now blushing quite red. She had to say something outlandish to get his attention; poor Violet had grown so pale at his sudden burst of interest. And besides, he had angered her a little by not being honest with her; she felt a little name calling was appropriate.

Violet was trying not laugh at the byplay between these two seemingly mismatched people; it was kind of nice to see. They apparently worked well together and knew just how far they could push each other and how to get their point effectively across to one another. In other words, they were good friends, as well as boss and assistant. Violet felt a short stab of jealousy; it had been too long since she had been able to have any kind of relationship like that. It sadly reminded her of her and her brothers.

"How about we try this again?" Pepper said to restart the discussion. "What can you tell us about the Witchblade, Miss Devonshire?"

From there Violet was able to launch into a lengthy explanation about the Witchblade as she knew it. She talked about its supernatural abilities: the armor, the weapons, the visions, the healing ability it had, its ability to manipulate time, how it could let her live the lifetimes of other wielders in a single moment, and how it could call people or things to it that it needed. She then went on to talk about the symbiotic relationship she had with it; how she shared her mind with it. She told them that she knew that it had been around for thousands of years, but it had yet to reveal its origins to her. She explained how it was a force for good that came forth to balance the scales between good and evil. She also mentioned that only a woman could wear it.

"It's sexist?' Tony asked jokingly. Pepper's dirty look wiped the grin right of his face. He rephrased his question. "I meant to ask, does it have something against men, or doesn't it like them, or what?"

Violet had almost smiled at Stark's comment, but she refrained. Again, she didn't want to encourage him in any way; even if he amused her from time to time. "No, I don't think is has a problem with men. It just sees women as the stronger sex."

"So it _is_ sexist," Tony said again, totally serious. Pepper just rolled her eyes in disgust at him.

"That came out wrong," Violet told him, flustered again. _Damn that man_, Violet thought to herself. "Women are the stronger sex for its needs. Women can take more pain than men; that's why they can bear children. In nature, the female entity is found to be the more creative force; women are closer to nature than men. The Witchblade needs to tap into that natural, creative power. It can't with a man; it's blocked. To wear the Witchblade is pain; men break under it, women don't. That's just how it is."

"How about you?" Tony couldn't help but ask. "How are you holding up?"

Pepper was about to slug him for his insensitivity, but he was deadly serious; he wasn't teasing or joking. Violet drew herself up, taking a deep breath. "Not so well," she said honestly. "I'm not of the true Witchblade bloodline. I don't know why it chose me; it must have been desperate. Its last wielder, a New York City homicide detective a named Sara Pezzini, died before it could complete its intended mission. The next wielder in the actual Witchblade's chosen bloodline isn't due to be born for another ten years at least. Somehow it found its way onto my wrist, but it made a very poor choice; in fact, I'm probably the worst choice it could have made." She had started to shake again; her emotions about this whole thing were too close to the surface.

"Why on earth would you say that?" Pepper now rejoined.

"Because it's true," Violet replied softly, looking down at the floor. "I'm a low-down, dirty, selfish, little thief. It wants me to be some great hero, but that's not who I am." She was weeping again; tears running down her cheeks. _Damn it. I can't cry in front of them. I can't, _she thought frantically."It wants me to save and help people, but how can I do that when I couldn't even save my own family? How can I be a force for good, when I can't even protect the ones I love?" The truth of her feelings came spilling from her lips as she sobbed.

Tony wasted no time in coming to her side and drawing her into his arms, masterfully bypassing Pepper to do so. This had been what he was waiting for, pushing her for – the heart of the matter. Something was telling him that she badly needed to get it out in the open; confess it to herself and someone else. "You're talking about your brothers and your parents, aren't you?" he asked her very gently, rubbing her back so very softly. Violet didn't fight him this time; she clung to him as she cried from the depths of her soul.

Again, Pepper knew that Tony had been holding back on her about Violet. He obviously knew a lot about this woman. Had he been secretly doing research on her or something? What kind of game was he playing or was he telling the truth about helping Violet out of some awful trouble she had found herself caught up in? Pepper was now very hurt and very confused by Tony not confiding all of this to her.

Suddenly, Violet went still as she came to realize what Tony had said to her. "How do you know about my family, Stark?!" Violet demanded, turning hard with fury. "How did you find out who I was? Have you been spying on me or having me followed? What gives you the right?!" She pulled violently out of his arms and stood, shouting at him. "You really are a slimy bastard aren't you, Stark! You must think I'm a pretty easy mark. All that crap about you wanting to help me is just bullshit isn't it?! What do you want from me?!"

"Calm down, Violet, please," Tony pleaded and stood as well. He tried to close the space between them, but Violet continually backed away from him. She was totally enraged now; somehow it made her even sexier. He shook that thought away for the moment; he had to get her to chill out. "I'll explain everything to you, but you have to give me the chance. I know you're hurting and you're scared right now; I don't blame you. Just take a deep breath and relax a bit. I don't want anything from you; I swear to God. You're free to walk out of this house right now and never look back, but I think that would be a big mistake. It won't kill you to hear me out. I should get to tell my side of the story - don't ya think?"

He finally got close enough to her to snag her wrist. He attempted to pull her to him and hug her again, but she fought him, pulling against his grip. Tony had unsuspectingly grabbed her right wrist, the one bearing the Witchblade. His hand rubbed against it as they struggled. The room was immediately encompassed in a bloody glow. Violet gasped as the Witchblade became active - awakened by Tony's touch. That was really odd; it never awoke under a man's touch, but it had now. It branched out into its glove and gauntlet form. It sent shocks through Tony's whole body as it extended and grew, but it didn't force his hand away.

Violet just stood there with Tony Stark still holding on to her wrist – her wrist that was now encased within the Witchblade. Tony could feel it pulse with otherworldly and supernatural power; it wasn't like any energy he had ever dealt with before. It was surprisingly warm, though he thought it would be cold to the touch. He started to feel a little light headed, but it wasn't entirely an unpleasant sensation.

Then the room spun, and he saw scenes from long ago flash through his mind. Joan of Arc leading her French army against the invading British forces during the Hundred Years' War; the Witchblade was her armor and sword. Next he saw Boudicca, Queen of the Iceni Celts in the eastern part of what was now Great Britain, fighting valiantly against the Roman Empire trying to conquer her homeland; the Witchblade was her strength and power. The last image he saw was of Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, seducing the great Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony as they tried to rule Egypt and her; the Witchblade was resting in its bracelet form on her right wrist. The visions evaporated and Tony was again in his living room with Violet and Pepper.

The Witchblade then grew a number of spikes on the top part of its metal hand. One managed to jab into Tony's hand which was still gripping it. It sliced into him; he howled and let go. The ancient artifact hadn't cut him too deeply, but it had drawn blood. "Ow! That hurt!" he hissed, putting his bleeding hand to his mouth, trying to stop the blood flow. "Why'd it do that?"

"I don't know," Violet's voice was so soft it could barely be heard. "I've never seen it act like this."

"What did I just see?" Tony then asked, still trying to find his equilibrium.

"Bit and pieces of past wielders' lives," Violet answered in a far away voice.

"Hey, you okay?" he said as the Witchblade deactivated and returned to its bracelet disguise. Violet seemed to rock back and forth a little after the Witchblade's deactivation. She was deathly pale and her eyes rolled up into her head. Tony caught her just before she hit the floor.

"What just happened?" Pepper finally found her voice. She stood and came to Violet and Tony's side, squatting down a bit to look at them better.

"I don't have a freakin' clue," Tony said totally at a loss. "Go get some water, would you, Miss Potts?" he then said, trying to feel normal again.

"Sure thing, Mr. Stark," Pepper replied as she got back up and headed to the kitchen.

Violet moaned and came to. She opened her eyes to find Tony Stark's dark brown ones staring into her bright blue ones. She found herself getting lost in his eyes; they were his best feature. The Witchblade's power hummed through her and encouraged her to touch him. Her hand reached up and caressed his cheek, gently and feather light. His uninjured hand did the same to her face, stroking softly.

"I guess I could give you a chance to explain yourself," Violet whispered to him. "I think that was the Witchblade's way of getting both of our attentions."

"Is that a guess or do you know for sure?" Tony queried lightly.

"I'm pretty sure, Stark," Violet said, closing her eyes as his touch sent a wave of pleasure through her.

"How about calling me, Tony? This Stark crap is for the birds," he told her with a disarming smile.

"When I feel I can truly trust you, then, and only then, will I call you by your first name, Stark," Violet said, not giving in.

"So that means you're going to be staying a while then?" Tony couldn't help but ask as the thought of seeing her everyday made his stomach flutter.

Violet's lips were inches from his. "For now," was her response. He went to kiss her, but the clearing of someone's throat broke the moment.

"You wanted some water, Mr. Stark?" Pepper said testily as she thrust a glass of water at him.

"Yeah..., yeah, I did," he said distractedly, taking the glass and helping Violet to her feet.

"I also got you some gauze and a Band-Aid," Pepper informed him curtly. "That cut's a nasty one."

Tony looked down to see that the Witchblade's mark on him was still bleeding. He was just glad he hadn't gotten any if it on his white shirt; he didn't want to have to go change his clothes again. When he just stood there staring at his hand, Pepper sighed wearily and went about mopping it up and putting the gaze and bandage on it. Violet somehow found the couch again and had sat down on it; actually, she was kind of sprawled on it. When Pepper was done dressing Tony's wound, she went and sat by the young woman.

"What was that all about?" Pepper asked gently, grabbing the water back from Tony, when he did nothing with it, and helped Violet sip some.

Violet let out a great breath of air and put her head in her hands after drinking some of the water Pepper offered. "I really don't know what the Witchblade is doing, Miss Potts," she answered.

"Pepper, please," the strawberry blonde woman told her.

Violet finally looked at her. "Pepper," she agreed. "To tell you the complete truth, it has been after me for weeks to team up with Stark, or should I say Iron Man," Violet looked briefly at Tony when she said this. "It seems to think he can help me or I can help him, or something like that. I've been resisting. Mr. Stark has such a colorful past and lifestyle that I was skeptical – I still am by the way," she added. Tony was watching her intently now, his gaze drawn irresistibly to her. "Anyway, the Witchblade usually finds a way to get what it wants, and it somehow manipulated me and the situation, and maybe even Mr. Stark, so it would get what it wanted." She couldn't believe she was admitting all this, but it was strangely making her feel better. "If I didn't know better, I'd say the Witchblade is testing Stark out; seeing if he really means to change the way he does things."

"That would explain a lot," Tony suddenly spoke, surprising both Violet and Pepper. "I wasn't planning on attending Hugh's birthday party, and Pepper here," he pointed at his assistant for dramatic effect, "really didn't want me to go. But Hugh called me personally and demanded that I make an appearance. It caught me totally off guard and I couldn't say no to Hugh Hefner, so I went. Rhodey - the guy who ruined a perfectly enjoyable make out session –," Tony paused and gave Violet a smoldering look, "at Pepper's urging, agreed to accompany me, which was kinda weird; he doesn't usually go in for that kind of party. When I got there and actually talked to Hugh, it was his suggestion that I go to his awards room to look at the new award he'd gotten from some charity. All he told me was it would be something I would really appreciate. I never did get to see what he was talking about, because_ you_," he pointed his finger at Violet now and gave her another desire-filled look, "were in there, stealing from him and distracted me."

Pepper felt herself slump against the couch. She had no idea what had happened to Tony at Hugh Hefner's birthday party; all she knew was that he had insisted on going, against all her protests that he shouldn't go out in public so soon after his grand announcement. Now to learn that some supernatural force was moving him around like a chess piece, really bothered her. She also didn't miss Tony's remark about a make out session with Violet, who at the time was someone he didn't even know the name of. Tony had even caught Violet in the act of being a thief. She was going to have to have a serious chat with her boss about total disclosure, if he ever wanted to leave the mansion again. Plus, there was the issue of his going to the port on a mission as Iron Man that he had failed to inform her about. Why did she put up with his insufferable ass? _Because he is all you have, my dear, he is all you have, _Pepper chided herself.

Violet knew the Witchblade was cunning, but Tony's filling in the gaps left her astounded; it had really wanted her to meet him. Now it had tasted his blood; she wondered what that would tell it. She glanced at Stark again and said, "How did you find out who I was? I didn't give you one clue as to who I really was. I gave you only a first name and that was a fake anyway."

"Ah, but you did, although probably totally unwittingly," Tony told her and sat down next to her on the couch. "Our lip lock, remember? You left a nice sample of your DNA on me that I had tested and then researched."

"You did what?!" Violet shouted as she was about to flip out again.

"Relax, relax," Tony hurriedly said. "My source was completely trustworthy and he made sure no one was alerted to his search for your identity. He was very thorough, and I have to say, damn good at his job."

Violet tried to calm herself. She knew Stark wasn't stupid, that he was astute and careful when he wanted to be. "So that's how you learned about my brothers and parents? What else do you know, Stark?" she wanted to know.

"Enough to know that Kenneth Irons is the one who's after you, and now I have a pretty good idea why. You stole the Witchblade from him, didn't you?" Tony replied.

Violet shook her head. "No, you've got it wrong. I stole it _for _him, from an auction house, but it decided to claim me as its wielder. I tried to give it to him, but it wouldn't let me. Kenneth Irons is obsessed with the Witchblade and will do anything to get his hands on it or its wielder. He actually tried to wear it once; he put it on and everything. Before it could stop him, he gained some power and knowledge from it, but then it rejected him. It actually burned his hand, and he still has this weird interlacing circle scar on his right hand. He will stop at nothing to get a hold of it again; one taste of it was not nearly enough for him. He killed Sara Pezzini when she wouldn't give it to him and now he wants to kill me because I won't play his little game either. He is evil, Stark, pure evil. I've never really believed in it before I met him; now I do.

"I'm sorry to say, that I was lumping you in the same category as him. You're both wealthy industrialists with rather flamboyant tastes and lifestyles. He deals in weapons and technology and so do you. He has personal bodyguards," here Violet shivered at the thought of Ian Nottingham, "and so do you. Again, being completely honest, Stark, I was scared to death of you because I thought you'd be just like Irons. He tried to seduce me, beguile me, and when that didn't work, he struck down the ones I loved to try and force me to be his. I've been running so long that I don't know how to do anything else."

"I hope you realize not that I'm not like Irons," Tony said, taking her hands in his. "It's true that I've been lax in responsibility and in being a grown up, but I've never truly wanted to hurt anyone in my entire life. I naively thought that the weapons I helped create were to protect American lives. I thought I was contributing to the cause, and as an added bonus, making a pile off of it. Recently, I've had a change of heart; had my eyes opened, learned what the truth really is, and I didn't like it, Violet. I'd despised what I'd become. For some reason I was spared when I shouldn't have been, and now I'm trying to make things right. I trying not to waste my second chance to do the right thing," he voice caught in his throat. He suddenly stood and turned away from both Violet and Pepper. He was not going to break down in front of them; he wasn't.

Pepper had never seen Tony like this. Was he about to cry? She knew he'd had a reawakening after being a hostage, but now he had depth to him. He really did feel this in his heart it seemed. Violet wasn't expecting such raw emotion either. Maybe there was more to Tony Stark than money, weapons, and women.

When he had regained control of his emotions, he turned to face the women and talked his thoughts through. "Every shipment I track and find that is not on the up-and-up, I'm destroying. I saw what horrors they can inflict upon the innocent when they're in the wrong hands. Iron Man is my way to clean up my mess. I'm still trying to decide what the future is at Stark Industries, because you're right, weapons creation and manufacturing is a key part of the company. There are many other technologies Stark Industries can develop, but none of them are the moneymakers that weapons have been. And the U.S military, especially the DOD, is hounding me not give up totally on designing weapons. I know now that if my company remains in the weapons business, there will be one hundred percent accountability from me from now on."

"Are you going to tell Miss Devonshire about S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Pepper interrupted his speech.

"What's shield?" Violet now asked genuinely curious. She had been watching Tony very carefully while he talked. She saw the truth of his words in his eyes; he was a changed man. Whatever he had experienced when he was held captive, had deeply affected him. Maybe she should give him the chance to prove it; the Witchblade seemed to think he was sincere.

"It stands for Strategic, Homeland, Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division," Tony told her with another charming smile. "They're a government agency that specializes in protecting not just the United States, although that is their main objective, but they look out for the entire globe as well. They like to play things under the radar."

"So they are all hush-hush and secretive, huh?" Violet questioned, fascinated.

"Basically," Tony told her. "Their Director, Nick Fury, didn't like my little stunt dealing with revealing my identity to the world. He got it into his thick skull that I would be the key to putting a team together of unique individuals to deal with the really big threats and bad guys that are out there. He all but gave me an ultimatum; jump on the band wagon, or else – you know they'd take all the suit technology away from me -, but the more I've thought about it, the more good I think I can really do."

Violet's response was not what Tony or Pepper expected. "He can't do that to you. The government can't take away what's _your _invention. You created it; it belongs to you."

Tony smiled warmly at the anger in Violet's voice. It was nice for it to be directed at someone else and not him; in fact, she was angry _for_ him rather than _with_ him, even coming to his defense. "They can if they consider you a threat to national security. Besides, having the military and S.H.I.E.L.D. behind me because I'm working for them, is a real asset. I probably would've agreed to Fury's demands without all of his arm twisting, but I guess he had to pad his odds…" Tony paused as he debated whether he should tell Violet about the file S.H.I.E.L.D. had on her.

"What is it, Stark?" Violet asked, sensing his hesitation to continue.

"I'm not sure you really want to know," Tony hedged; things were going so well, why spoil them now with some disturbing information.

"Out with it, Rusty Shorts," Pepper chimed back in, trying to add a little humor. She didn't know what Tony was being so guarded about, but it must be something big.

Tony stared at Pepper before he outright laughed; his tension eased just a bit. "Do I even want to know how you came up with that nickname, Miss Potts?" When Pepper merely shook her head at him, he went on, addressing Violet. "It seems that S.H.I.E.L.D. has a file on you, Miss Devonshire. They appear to be very interested in you. My contact didn't provide me with the reason why they were so interested in you, but after that nifty demonstration you just gave us, I'd say they know about the Witchblade and its abilities."

Violet was literally knocked speechless by Tony's confession, and so was Pepper; this was the first she'd heard of it too. A secret government agency had a file on her? When would this horrible nightmare end? Not only was a power-mad murdering, billionaire after her, but now the government was. Violet was suddenly very ill, and she must have looked as bad as she felt because Tony's arms were around her once again. This time she gave him no resistance. She found it very funny that, someone she had feared so much could now suddenly bring her so much comfort. She felt safe with Tony Stark, protected even. That was just too strange for Violet; she hadn't felt safe for over a year now. She'd forgotten how good that could feel.

"Listen, Miss Devonshire," Tony said, trying to be respectful and sensitive to Violet's feelings, "I don't know why the Witchblade wanted us to meet, but now we have. I don't want to pressure you into anything that you don't want to do, but I want you to know that you have a sanctuary here. I'm not going to tell Fury about you, not yet at least. I'm not going to alert any of the authorities to your presence. My home is your home until you decide what you want to do. And I will especially make sure that arrogant ass, Kenneth Irons, doesn't come anywhere near you. Okay?"

She listened closely to all that Tony was saying to her, realizing that those were words she had dreamed and fantasized about hearing from someone for so long. Violet so needed the rest, to regain both her strength and her sense of self. She had been waging her private little war for too long on her own. Now at last, she had help, someone to lean on, and maybe even someone to return the favor to; someone who could and would understand what she was going through. A part of her still doubted, however, and she was terrified that all of this was too good to be true. She didn't know if she could let someone in again; the pain might be too much for her to bear.

_Trust me, my sister,_ finally the Witchblade's voice was back in her mind. _All will work out as it should; have faith._

"Violet?" Tony's worried tone drew her attention back to him. Her head was on his shoulder, and she had unconsciously put her arms around his waist. "Are you all right? Will you stay for a while?"

Her blue eyes were shining with unshed tears; they pierced Tony's heart, almost as if a piece of shrapnel had finally found its way into it. Violet really needed help. "No, I'm not all right, but yes, I'll stay for a little while."

"Good," Tony replied, finally feeling content. "And you know what? Depending on how long you decide to stay, I have the perfect job I can offer you. I think you are capable of earning your keep, don't you?"

"You've got to be kidding, Mr. Stark," Pepper remarked, unable to believe his nerve.

"Nope, I'm totally serious," Tony told both women with one of his roguish grins. "I want to hire Miss Devonshire as one of my security chiefs. I know you graduated from MIT, my Alma Mater, and I've seen your fighting skills, my dear," he said talking directly to Violet in his arms, savoring the moment. "You'd be perfect as both a bodyguard and a security consultant. And just remember, I always get what I want." And he left it at that.

TBC

**There it is, so let me know what you think. Does this set things up okay? How were my characterizations? Make my life a little brighter and better by leaving a review. Thanks.**


	7. Chapter 7: Here Comes Trouble

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own any of the rights to anything Iron Man, that right goes to Marvel Studios/Comics. I don't own any of the rights to anything dealing with the Witchblade, that right goes to Top Cow Productions. The only thing I claim as mine is any original characters I created and the plot of this particular story. No copy right infringement is meant. This is for fun and not for money.**

**Rated T: For language and romance**

**A/N: In any good story a villain is always lurking in the shadows. As Tony and Violet get more acquainted with each other, Kenneth Irons finds a way to disturb Violet's peace of mind. I'm trying to give the bad guy some screen time and start setting up the main conflict of the story. I took the part about how Jarvis was named from the novelized version of the Iron Man movie; unfortunately that comes from the screenplay writers and not me. Thanks to all of you who have been reviewing. You guys rock the planet!! I so appreciate the kindness and encouragement, and I'm really glad that some people are enjoying this story as much as I am. LOL!! Please keep the reviews coming!!**

**Thank you RadcliffePotter for another great beta job!!**

**- Ladyhawke Legend**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

**Here Comes Trouble**

The rest of the day actually passed by in a pleasurable manner for Violet; well, more pleasurably than she thought it would anyway. Stark had given her a grand tour of his stunning mansion after his pronouncement of hiring her. He ended the tour in his breathing-taking workshop that also doubled as a garage for his extensive and expensive car collection. Violet had immediately fallen in love with the shop – the cars were kind of nice too. She couldn't believe all of the state-of-the-art technology that Stark had in place. To even get into the workshop, a person had to have the correct code and identity conformation. The rest of the house could be locked down in sections and almost every security measure possible was used to protect its occupant.

Most of the equipment in the workshop Stark had designed himself, along with the programs and software that ran everything. Violet had almost forgotten that Stark had graduated from MIT at the very young age of seventeen, and he had completely surpassed many of his professors there. He was something of a legend among the staff and student body of the acclaimed tech school. The robotics and mechanical machines Stark had in his employ were amazing. He could program everything into his central computer mainframe and his robotic assembly-line would almost instantaneously create it. He had the latest in design programs and even a 3-D projection program that allowed a person to see every delicate detail of a work-in-progress. Stark had told her all about his creation of Jarvis, an extremely complex and multi-layered artificial intelligence program.

"So, you're A.I. is the one who scared me to death when I first regained consciousness?" Violet had commented as she and Stark stood in the middle of the workshop.

"I'm very sorry about that, Miss Devonshire," Jarvis' voice apologized from all around them. "It was not my intention." He spoke in his very proper British accent.

Violet smiled at how much personality Stark had programmed into the A.I. "Oh, that's okay, Jarvis. It's just not everyday a girl gets to meet a computer program as unique as you." Then she turned back to Tony. "Where did you get the name Jarvis from? I mean it's fitting and all, due to the fact that you made him sound like a British butler, but it seems like there's more to his name than that."

"You're very astute, Miss Devonshire," Tony said with a big grin. "His name is an acronym. Jarvis. Just A Really Very Intelligent System."

Violet couldn't help but laugh. It was so simple, yet so clever at the same time. Tony loved to hear Violet laugh. He had a feeling she hadn't done much of it lately and that she was beginning to let her guard down; if only a little. He was trying to be on his best behavior around her too. He wasn't flirting or trying to be overly charming. He really genuinely wanted Violet to trust him, and hopefully, actually like him. If he had to reign himself in to make sure that happened, then he would, at least for a little while.

"And I take it that this is where you created and work on your Iron Man suit?" Violet then asked next. She could see tell-tale signs of different sections and parts of the red and gold armor all around the workshop.

"Yes, ma'am," Tony responded with a hint of pride. "And I'm now working on several different and newer models of it as well." Violet was impressed, which was rare these days. Stark had been very hard at work and was obviously very serious about taking a new direction in his life.

Stark had then allowed her time to meander around and examine the things around her. She understood most of concepts behind what he was doing, but some of it still eluded her. Violet knew she was gifted with computers, but Tony Stark had her backed off the map. He was light years ahead of her in his thinking.

"Wow," was all Violet could say. She knew it sounded dumb, but nothing else was forthcoming. She feared that he'd have some smart-assed remark about her reaction, but he surprisingly didn't.

It warmed Tony's heart to see Violet awed by what he had accomplished. Nobody's opinion had really mattered before; this was new territory for him. There weren't many people he could share this with. He knew he was taking a chance with revealing so much to Violet, but trust was a two-way street, and if he wanted it from her, he had to give some himself. He could tell she actually understood some of the things that he was working on, and maybe with a little guidance and instruction, he could help her understand that much more. It would be very nice to have a lab assistant that was human and not a computer program or a robot.

"I have to say that myself sometimes," Tony told her suddenly, lost in her Caribbean blue eyes again. He had been taking in all her perfect curves - both front and back -, her shapely legs, and her beautiful face - the whole time he been talking to her. It was taking everything he had not to act on the wonderful way she made him feel.

Violet stared back at him for a long moment, and then she had to look away. She was starting to feel something and she couldn't let that happen. She glanced around the workshop trying to look anywhere but at Stark. Her eyes fell on the Iron Man helmet in all its red and gold glory. She couldn't help but walk over to it and reach out to touch it.

"Do you mind?" she suddenly asked, feeling tentative about touching Stark's helmet.

"Not at all," Tony replied, coming to stand beside her. "Go ahead, take a look and tell me what you think." He wanted to see how much she really understood about how the helmet worked. It was, after all, the true brains of the suit. He was enjoying being able to share this with someone who at least had an inkling about what he was doing. Rhodey and Pepper just didn't get it sometimes. Rhodey got some of it, but not enough. Tony knew Violet was different; she would get it, if he gave her enough time.

Violet slowly and carefully reached out and caressed the Mark III's helmet. It was smooth and cold under her fingertips. She picked it up to examine it more closely; it was a lot lighter than she would have thought. She held it up so she could look inside. The gold face plate lifted up she found out, allowing her a better view. She couldn't believe what she saw.

"Holy shit!" she whispered, but Tony heard her exclamation, and smiled to himself. "Don't tell me you have a HUD in this thing!?" she then demanded of Tony. A HUD was short for a "Heads-Up Display". It projected readouts against the lenses inside the eyeholes of the helmet. These allowed the wearer of the suit to view a constant stream of information about what was going on within and without of the suit.

Tony tried not to act too excited that she had indeed "gotten it". "It's the only way to monitor everything that's going on while I'm in the suit. Its sensors know what's going on with my body inside the suit and the performance of the armor itself. I can download a version of Jarvis into it to help with all the data that comes in."

"And that is a full time job, Miss Devonshire," Jarvis suddenly piped up.

Violet felt her lips pull into a small smile at Jarvis' comment. "Does it help you navigate when you fly? Tell you your altitude, give you crosshairs to help you correct your trajectory, and monitor your power levels?" Violet was now the one full of questions, directed at Tony. Through the dreams the Witchblade had been sending to Violet, she knew a lot of what the Iron Man suit could do; she'd seen it in action.

"Yeah, it monitors my vitals, has a GPS and comm system, and a whole bunch of other stuff," Tony informed her, still trying to play it cool, but inside he was cheering her on and jumping up and down in delight. _This girl is one smart cookie_, he thought. She knew much more than the average Joe. He then wondered if that was a good thing or a bad thing; for him, it might be both.

"I bet you can zoom in on targets and even run identification checks on people and weapons that you come across. Your sight in this thing must be amazing. You can probably pull up schematics and all other kinds of information to aid you when you're in a fight," Violet was talking with passion now. "For this thing to fly you'd have to worry about hull pressurization and flight stabilization. You'd also have to worry about ice formation depending on your altitude. You'd have to have thrusters of some kind. I can't imagine all the servos, hydraulics, gears, and tubing that would have to go into this. Then you'd have to find a way to map all of your body's nervous system to get the suit to move as you move…" Violet's voice drifted off. She straightened and looked at Tony as a realization came to her. "How in the hell do you power this thing?"

Tony watched Violet survey the workshop again to try and find his power source. Part of him was thrilled that her mind was working through all the necessary configurations and calculations that had to go into his suit, but now he would have to tell her about the mini Arc reactor. He didn't quite know how he felt about that. Violet's eyes came to rest on the Mark III's main chest piece, all hot-rod red. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed the circular hole in the middle of it. She studied it for a long moment, and then her gaze returned to Tony and his chest. She looked back and forth from the chest piece to him several times as she put two and two together.

"Stark," she said slowly. "How do you power your suit?" she asked again, her eyes focused back on him and narrowed again suspiciously.

He felt like he would melt under that searing gaze. "With this," he answered her as he carefully unbuttoned his white shirt. When he had opened it enough, he made sure Violet got a good view of the circular device embedded in his chest. "This not only is keeping me alive, but it also powers the suit."

Violet put down the Mark III helmet gently, not wanting to damage it. Then she turned to face Tony and closed the space between them. Her eyes were riveted to the mini Arc reactor. "What is it?" she asked softly, going to reach out again to touch it, and then she thought better of it.

"It's okay, Violet," Tony used her first name to be more personal, "you can touch it if you want to." He couldn't believe he had just said that. Pepper had been the only one he had trusted to handle the device. He had a terrifying flashback to Obadiah ripping it out of his chest and leaving him to die as the shrapnel had moved dangerously close to the inside of his heart. Violet wasn't Obadiah, but that treacherous act of betrayal by a trusted friend still cut Tony to the core. He wanted Violet to touch it, however, because then it wouldn't be an obstacle for what he had in mind for later; an intimate moment with his lady thief.

She raised her hand again, hesitantly. Violet didn't want to make Tony uncomfortable, for she had seen him tense up a little. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"It won't hurt you or me," he informed her. "It is a miniaturized version of the Arc Reactor that used to be at Stark Industries, until it overloaded and blew up a few months ago. It basically functions like a nuclear reactor only much more powerfully, safely, and efficiently. The original one I designed could generate up to three gigajoules. This one," he said indicating the one Violet was currently looking at, "is a little bit more sophisticated than the old one. It allows a powerful electromagnet to keep a whole bunch of pieces of shrapnel from reaching my heart and killing me. They were a souvenir from my trip to Afghanistan and my incarceration there."

"Oh, so that's what happened," Violet whispered as her soft and feminine hand met the metal surface of the mini Arc reactor. Tony was thoroughly relieved when she didn't recoil or draw back as she caressed it like she had the Mark III helmet, with great care and softness. She used her right hand, the one bearing the Witchblade. It swirled to life as Violet came into contact with the power source. It glowed a bright red and the white mist spun around inside the red jewel. Then it activated and became the gloved gauntlet. Violet and Tony both gasped at the sudden event and the sensation it caused in them respectively.

The science behind the mini Arc reactor was based on the natural laws that governed the universe. The Witchblade's supernatural power was also based on the laws that governed the universe, just in a different form. They were like polar opposites; highly attracted to one another. Tony felt the mini Arc reactor hum and whirl away; its power output steadily increasing. It glowed brilliantly bluish-white under the Witchblade's and Violet's touch. The air around Tony and Violet seemed to electrify and buzz. The pressure and power continually built up until the red and the bluish-white lights merged and became one. The light danced all around Tony's workshop; not hurting anything, but putting on a spectacular show. In the tumult, Tony had grabbed Violet, and her free hand had grabbed on to him. Finally, the Witchblade shut down and the power play ended. Tony staggered backwards slightly, pulling Violet with him and into him.

They stared at each other in shock. Neither one knew what to say or what had just happened. Their breathing was labored and they held on to each other to stay upright. Tony felt like he had been through one hell of an adrenaline rush, almost as if he had been flying at supersonic speeds and battling with F-22 Raptor airplanes again. It felt damn good; ever nerve was on fire, but in a pleasurable way, not painful at all. Violet was feeling similarly. She felt like she had just brought down an enemy successfully in battle and every pore in her body was open and alive.

"Are you two all right, sir?" Jarvis asked, sounding rather concerned. The A.I. had been ready to intervene and protect his creator.

"That was incredible," Tony finally found his voice, but he couldn't bring himself to try and discuss what exactly had happened with Violet or Jarvis.

"I guess you could say that," Violet replied with a shaky voice of her own. She had to get out of this room and now. Trying to be calm and collected, Violet acted as if nothing had happened; denial was always a good tool for her to use. "Well, thanks for the look around, Stark. I think I'm going to go lie down. I'm feeling a little woozy still." She subtly pulled away from him. "We're fine, Jarvis," she added.

"My rooms still avail--," Tony started to say.

"Where should I g--," Violet said at the exact same time.

They laughed uncomfortably at themselves. "Go ahead and stay in my room for the time being," Tony managed to say. "I'll have Pepper, or Rosa, my maid, make up a guest room for myself. Then when things are settled down, you can pick whatever room you like, and I'll take my room back." His head was spinning so fast he didn't really know what he was saying. Violet seemed to be totally ignoring what had just happened. He wondered why; he wasn't doing much better about talking about it either, however.

"Oh, I don't want to take your room away from you," Violet said in a rush. "I can take a guest room." She felt herself warm from head to foot at the thought of being in Tony Stark's bed again.

"I don't mind," Tony told her. "You spent a couple of days in there already. You'll sleep better in its familiar surroundings than in another strange room. We can work it out later. I'm not worried about it, unless," he said, suddenly turning coy, "you don't want to sleep alone."

The meaning of his words was plain to Violet; she felt herself blush despite herself. _He's doing it again, damn him, _she thought to herself. It startled Violet that she found herself actually liking the idea of what he was suggesting. That was ridiculous; it wasn't going to happen. A part of her, however, longed to be in this man's arms, and that scared her most of all. She had denied herself for a long time, and she thought she would be content to keep on denying herself. It seemed as if she might be wrong. _No, no, you don't need him; you don't_, Violet tried to convince herself.

"Stark, I wouldn't sleep with _you _if you were the last man on Earth," she stated firmly, although that was the furthest thing from the truth. She had it bad for the weapons genius; she just wasn't going to ever admit that. Violet rolled her eyes at him, feigning disgust, and started to walk away from him.

"Is that so?" he questioned challengingly, following closely behind her. Tony had seen the desire-filled look in her eyes, even if it had been brief. She felt the same way about him that he did about her, but she was fighting it. Why? He would just have to double his efforts, but in a way that would pull her to him, not push her away.

Violet didn't slow in her quick pace as she opened the glass door into the workshop and started up the stairs. "Yes, and it's a fact that you had better get used to, if you think I'm even going to consider working for you," she huffed over her shoulder at him.

Tony was right behind her as they ascended the stairs. He reached out and grabbed her arm stopping her climb. He made her face him before he spoke. "You know, Miss Devonshire, I think you need an attitude adjustment. Your living armor seems to think I'm an okay guy, if you two are supposed to be of one mind, what's your problem?"

"Men like you, Stark," Violet spat at him, her ire rising. "And I may share my mind with the Witchblade, but that doesn't mean I always agree with it." She shook him off and continued on up the stairs to the top. Then she turned back to him and said, "I'm accepting your help because I really have no choice. I'm between a rock and a hard place right now; at my wits end. I do need help and you're offering it, but I don't have to like it or let you into my life." With that she started up the set of stairs going to the second floor.

He just stood there watching her walk away. _Man she needs to loosen up!_ Tony thought to himself. _And I'm the perfect person to help her do just that,_ he thought as he smiled to himself. "Oh, Miss Devonshire," he called up to her.

"What now, Stark?" she said wearily.

"Sweet dreams, my dear," he said as he again smiled slyly at her and laughed slightly as she hurried into his bedroom and slammed the door. "You're getting to her, Tony, you're getting to her," he said to himself and made his way to the kitchen for something to snack on. Problem was, she had already gotten to him.

* * *

"Sweet dreams my ass, Stark," Violet cursed as she continually tossed and turned. Every time she closed her eyes the Witchblade filled her head with visions, sights, and sounds. They all involved her, Tony Stark, and his bed. She couldn't sleep, her body getting too worked up to do so. "What the hell is your problem?" Violet snapped at the Witchblade. "If you want him that badly, then go get him yourself," she hissed.

The Witchblade spoke not a word to her in return; it remained stubbornly silent. Violet finally flung the smooth, silky sheet off of herself and sat up. She need some fresh air and quickly too. The roomed seemed to spin around her then and change shape, until she no longer recognized Stark's bedroom. She was still sitting in a bed, but the sheets were a dark red color and very velvety instead of silky. The bed was a large, four-posted, dark wooden one, with sheer red colored drapes. It took Violet a minute to get her bearings, but when she did, a cold and thick dread washed through her veins. She knew this bed; it belonged to Kenneth Irons.

Before she had come to fully understand what the Witchblade was, and before it could warn her away from Irons, he had seduced her into his bed. It had only happened once and she had been slightly inebriated at the time, but Irons had fully put her under his spell for a short time. Violet quickly looked down at herself and was relieved to see that she had on a long, spaghetti strapped, white nightgown; she had feared that she would find just her skin and the sheets.

"And how is my precious flower, Violet," Kenneth Irons voice seemed to be all around her; it eerily reminded her of Jarvis. She must be dreaming this; it couldn't be real. How was it happening though? Violet felt fear rush through her like a raging river, threatening to drown her. "Have you missed me, my dear Violet?" Irons' voice came at her again.

She tried to put up her saucy front. "What the hell do you think, Irons, you murdering bastard?!"

"Now, now is that any way to talk to your lover," he cooed as he materialized beside her in the bed, dressed in a silky, black robe.

Violet about jumped out of her skin. She scooted back away from him and almost fell off the bed. Irons grabbed her just before she slid off and pulled her back to him. He kissed her throat and neck languidly. Violet squirmed and tried to get away from him, feeling dirty and soiled by his touch. "Stop it, Irons; stop it! Taking advantage of me one time does not make us lovers. I despise and hate you!" Violet shouted at him.

His grip on her didn't loosen, but he stopped his amorous advances for the moment. "That hurts, my dear. It truly does," he said in his very cultured way. It sent shivers down Violet's spine, but not in a good way. "For I have missed you terribly," he told her as his cold gaze took all of her in; he practically undressed her with his eyes.

Violet couldn't understand why the Witchblade wasn't putting an end to this. Why was it letting Irons get to her in such a way, and why now? "Because you are at odds with the Witchblade, my dear, that's why." Irons seemed to read her thoughts. "I've been trying for months to get into your dreams, but you and that ancient artifact have been so close, so bonded that I couldn't influence you in any way. Remember, I'm connected to it too, even though my encounter with the blade was brief. I do possess some of its power. This psychic connection to you is just one of them."

Tearing herself from his grip, Violet turned on her side away from him. Irons managed to hang on to her around her waist and pulled the back of her form against him, almost cuddling her from behind. "Please go away," Violet all but sobbed.

"I wish it was that simple, my lady Violet, but it is not," Irons' voice was right in her ear. "I need you more than you will ever know; you and the Witchblade. I must have you in my possession. After a year of running from me and finding me only a step behind you at each turn, you must have realized how much I have to have you. I will do anything to make that happen.

"Stark won't protect you, at least not for very long any way. You know deep down inside yourself what kind of man he is. He will use you and betray you like all the other women he has had. You are but another conquest, one in a line of many. He sees you as a new challenge, but he will soon tire of you, and you will be left with nothing," Irons said with a serpent's tongue, trying to plant doubt and mistrust in Violet's heart and mind. "This hero business is a temporary fling, and once it has run its course he will be back to filling his pockets with money and swimming in blood with all his weaponry. He will hurt you, Violet. He will break your heart."

"You make him sound just like you," Violet choked out, trying not to let the monstrous fear overwhelm her.

She felt Irons chuckle behind her. One arm and hand stayed wrapped around her middle, while his other arm and hand began to rub up and down her arm with feather softness. "I've always been upfront with you, Violet. You've known from the beginning what to expect from me. Anthony Stark is worse, because he hides who he really is. He pretends to be something he is not. Then he betrays you. That is a more insidious evil than I am. He didn't tell you that he has set up a meeting with me, has he?"

That froze the blood in Violet's veins. Why hadn't Stark told her about that? Why would he want to meet with Kenneth Irons? It made no sense to her. Part of Violet want to rant at Irons, tell him that he was wrong about Stark that she had seen his goodness in his eyes, but another part of her was hearing her greatest fears confirmed. Violet was so conflicted and confused that she didn't know what to believe. What if Irons was right? What if Stark was building up her hopes to bring them crashing down again? Was he going to betray her?

"You can't trust a man like Stark, Violet. He can't change his nature; he will revert back to what he was and where will you be?" Irons continued on with his poisonous words. "Come back to me, my sweet Violet. Be mine and I will give you everything and anything you want. Help me unlock the secrets of the Witchblade and I will share its power with you." He nuzzled her neck with his nose and lips, and then caressed her arm softly.

She was so tempted to give in to him, so damn tempted. If she did, her fight would be over, her running would be over, and she wouldn't have look over her shoulder anymore. She could have peace and her path would be easier. He would lavish her with gifts, affection, and power. He _did_ know so much about the Witchblade already, so much that she didn't know even after having worn it for over a year. He could also take away her pain.

But that was all an illusion and Violet knew it; her heart knew it. He would use her up and spit her out to get at the Witchblade's secrets. He had killed her brothers and her parents. He had turned her life into a living hell; always on the run, never getting close to anyone. It was because of him that her life had fallen apart; he was the cause. He was a selfish, prideful, wicked, and evil man; bound and determined to take what was not his. She couldn't given into him; she couldn't. It wasn't right; in fact, it was totally wrong. Violet may have been a thief, but she didn't want to be an agent of evil; she just didn't. She couldn't live with herself that way.

"Get out of my head you son of a bitch!" she snarled at him, trying to find some strength to fight him in her anger. She turned to face him and slapped him as hard as she could. His arms released her in his shock. She scrambled away from him, off the bed, looking for a door out.

He was suddenly right beside her, grabbing her roughly, and slamming her back into a wall. "Don't defy me again, Violet. I'm offering you one last chance to do this the pleasant way. After this, I will have the Witchblade, and then I will kill you." Irons voice was harsh and razor sharp.

"I guess I'm choosing the hard way then, because you can go to hell!" she shouted back at him.

He slammed her into the wall again, knocking the wind out of her; it really hurt as pain lanced through her body from the impact. "Then you'd better prepare to start running again, my dear, because I'm coming after Stark next, and anyone else who dares to offer you shelter," he threatened her.

"No!" Violet screamed. "No, you can't!"

Then, just like that, Irons was gone and Violet heard a familiar voice. "Violet, Violet, wake up!" the voice told her, sounding a little frantic.

Her eyes flew open to once again met Tony Stark's deep and dark brown ones. They were so full of life and light compared to the cold and dead gray-blue eyes of Kenneth Irons. Violet now was aware that she was drenched in sweat, her breathing was very labored, and her heart was beating so hard that she thought it would explode. "Stark?" she questioned hoarsely.

"Yeah, it's me, Violet," Tony replied as he slowly helped her to sit up. He had a white hand towel which he wiped her forehead off with. "Here's some water," he then told her as he handed her a tall glass of the stuff. "You were having one hell of a nightmare. Jarvis was monitoring you and observed your distress. He woke me and informed me that you needed some help."

"Thank you, Stark," she whispered, shaking like a leaf.

He gathered her in his arms almost instantly, taking the water back and placing it on a nightstand. She allowed him to hold and comfort her for a moment. Then she pulled away and panic set in. "I've got to get out of here, Stark. I can't stay. I'm putting you in danger. Irons is going to kill you because you tried to help me." It all came out very fast and Tony had trouble following all of her thoughts.

"Time out, time out," he commanded, partially serious and partially in jest. "Sit down young lady and talk to me."

Violet looked at him like he had grown another head. "You don't get it. Kenneth Irons knows I'm here and that you are giving me aid and shelter. He is going to kill you for it. I have to leave and get as far away from here as I can."

"Bad idea," Tony said following her as she ran around the room, looking for her clothes. She had gone to bed in a pair of his sweat pants and a T-shirt. They drowned her, but she felt they were less revealing than the creamy nightgown she had had on earlier. "How does Irons know you're here? Besides, I'm not that easy to kill." He was trying to make her feel better, but it didn't appear to be working. "Stop moving around so much," he finally said, exasperated with her flitting all over the room. He gently grabbed her and pulled her back to sit on the edge of bed.

"No, I can't sit," Violet was almost manic now. "I've got to leave. I've got to go," she kept saying.

Tony did the only thing he could think of to get her attention; he slipped his arms around her again and soundly kissed her on the lips. Violet's ranting stopped immediately, and she kissed him back. The kiss grew in intensity and lengthened in duration. Her hands wrapped around him as they drank each other in. Tony seriously considered pushing for more, but he knew now was not the time. After savoring her taste and touch for a few moments longer, he finally broke their kiss. "Feel better?" he asked with a smirk.

Violet blinked at him. "Uh-huh," she said dumbly. "Wha—what was I saying?" she then asked.

"I haven't a clue, Violet," Tony said lightly. "You tell me. I think it has something to do with Kenneth Irons and that you think he's found you, but I'm not sure."

"He somehow invaded my dreams. I guess a trick he picked up through his connection with the Witchblade," Violet said much more calmly now. She was trying to think through the sensations that Tony's kiss had produced in her that were now mingling with the visions the Witchblade had given her earlier. "He, uh, he, um…," Violet stumbled with her words.

Tony watched as Violet blushed and stammered. "What happened in your dream, Violet?" he gently prodded.

"Irons tried to seduce me again," she finally got out. "He offered to give me anything and everything I wanted, if I would let him have me."

"By seduced you mean more than you tempt you with fame and fortune I take it?" Tony queried, a flash of jealousy zinging through him. How dare Irons make a move on his woman? At Violet's bashful nod, he went on. "And how did you answer him?" Tony asked anxiously; this was not sounding good.

"I told him to go to hell," Violet explained. "Then he threatened me, told me he'd get the Witchblade even if he had to kill me to do so. He also told me that he'd kill anybody that gave me sanctuary. He mentioned you especially, by name."

"Good girl," Tony commented on Violet's answer to Irons overtures. He took a deep breath, feeling more at ease again. "I'm not going to let Irons get to you, and I won't let him kill me. I have resources at my disposal that Irons has no concept of."

"I pray to God that you are right, Stark," Violet said looking down at the floor. "I'm sorry to put you in this position. This is all my fault. I should never have tried to rob Hugh Hefner. I really think I should go on the run again. Maybe Irons would leave you alone then," she added, glancing at Tony a little.

Tony picked up one of her hands and held it tightly in his own. "I doubt that, Violet," he said bluntly. "If he is as obsessed as I think he is, he'll try and kill me no matter what you do. It's time for you to face this guy and put him out of commission, but you don't have to do it alone. You'll have help this time. You shouldn't have to live in fear of this asshole or any asshole like him. It's time you fought back."

Violet then remembered Irons taunts about Tony and how there was the possibility that he would betray her. Irons had said something about Tony setting up a meeting with him. "Can I ask you something, Stark, and have you be totally honest with me?" she now asked him.

"Sure thing," he answered her. "What do you want to know?"

"Are you really going to meet with him; Irons I mean?" her voice shook as she asked.

Tony closed his eyes and thought, _Oh crap. I forgot to tell her about that._ "Yes, I did have Pepper schedule a meeting with him, but it was before I really knew who you were and how you were connected to him. Remember I told you how I came to be at the port the night you were there too?" Violet nodded at him. "Well, Jarvis discovered that a dummy corporation was shipping of some of Stark Industries' weapons to another dummy corporation in Bosnia. Both of the fake companies could be traced back to Vorschlag Industries when Jarvis dug deep enough. Irons is selling my weapons illegally and to some very bad people. I wanted to confront the stealing bastard. I wanted to take measure of the man and see who my enemy was."

"And why didn't you mention this to me before?" Violet inquired softly, still not meeting Tony's eyes.

"Because I'm a total and complete idiot sometimes," he confessed, but it got a tiny smile out of Violet. "I honestly forgot about it with all that's happened with you. I know we talked a little about Irons before, but I didn't connect the two situations at the time. I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to hide that fact from you; I just entirely forgot about it. I hope you believe me."

He put his finger under Violet's chin and made her look up at him. After gazing into his eyes, she finally said, "I do believe you, Stark. I can see the truth in your eyes; they really give you away, you know? Also, for you to admit that you're an idiot, well that's something, even if it's true."

"That was not nice, Violet," Tony said, trying to sound hurt by her last comment.

"You deserve it, Stark," Violet told him. "Don't you ever kiss me like that again, unless I specifically ask you to. No more of that, got it?"

"Oh, come on," he whined. "You enjoyed that as much as I did. Why can't you just admit that?"

"I've had my heart broken one too many times, Stark," she actually spoke the truth. "I can't handle it again. I'll accept your help and try and return the favor until Irons is no longer a problem for either of us. Then I'm gone; end of story."

Tony felt his own heart break. "You think I'd really break your heart? I'm not the same man that I was a few months ago. I'm starting to see how my relationships with people are important. I would never do anything to hurt you, Violet."

"I can't take that chance," she whispered, pulling her hand out his. "I just can't." A single tear rolled down her cheek. "My heart is closed and will remain that way. And it is not in my nature to do the casual physical relationship thing. I made that mistake once with Irons, and it's something I regret to this day, and it haunts me."

"You and Irons?" Tony asked, honing in on that fact. He felt himself literally go green with jealousy. Violet had slept with that piece of human filth and yet she resisted his own advances. Albeit, Tony didn't want just a casual physical relationship with Violet, but why would she give into Irons and not him? _Because she learned a hard and valuable lesson from the horrible mistake she had made; just like I have, _Tony answered his own question.

Violet went positively scarlet at what he was asking about. "Yeah, I guess that little fact slipped my mind. It's not something I'm proud of or want to advertise. He caught me at a weak moment, before I really understood the Witchblade. Believe me I wouldn't make that choice again."

"I'll make you a deal," Tony then said. "We'll take down Irons, together, and then will see what should happen next. You may find you like it around here. I won't put any conditions on you until this bad business is over, okay?"

"You'll knock off trying to win me over?" she said, trying to make him give her a definite answer.

"Well, a leopard can't change all his spots, and I can't stop being me," he replied nicely sidestepping committing to anything. "But I won't force the issue." Even as he said this, he knew deep down inside that he could never stop trying to win her over. He had fallen for her, head over heels, and he knew that she was close to doing the same; she just needed a little push over the edge. Tony Stark was determined to give her that push, and then catch her when she fell.

TBC

**Let me know what you think. Am I still doing okay? Any suggestions, comments, or thoughts? Please review; it is a simple act of kindness. :)**


	8. Chapter 8: Face Your Fears

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own any of the rights to anything Iron Man, that right goes to Marvel Studios/Comics. I don't own any of the rights to anything dealing with the Witchblade that right goes to Top Cow Productions. The only thing I claim as mine is any original characters I created and the plot of this particular story. No copy right infringement is meant. This is for fun and not for money.**

**Rated T: For language and romance.**

**A/N: I apologize for taking so long to update. I had beta reader difficulties, and I can't bring myself to post until a chapter has been betaed. My favorite beta got swamped with school and work. I had to hunt around for another one. It took a few tries, but AblatedCrayon stepped up to the plate and did an outstanding job for me. RID3RLVR (Ari) also did an awesome job catching a bunch of my silly mistakes. Many thanks to both of you!!! So now I'm back with more Tony and Violet. The first part of the chapter deals with Fury finding out about Tony's investigation into Violet. Then I set up Violet starting to work for Tony and her first assignment as his bodyguard. Please let me know that my readers are still out there and that you forgive me by leaving me a review. Let me know what you think about this chapter. Thanks and enjoy!!!!**

**-Ladyhawke Legend**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

**Face Your Fears**

"How long have you know about Violet Devonshire?" Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., demanded of Dr. Jeff Leroy. He was fuming at the DNA scientist, having just found out what he'd been up to, and for Tony Stark no less. "Do you really think you can hide your activities from us?"

Dr. Leroy gulped and sat a little straighter on the chair he was sitting in located within his lab. It was a rolling chair, and it shifted a bit as he moved in it. He decided to be direct with his boss. "Yes, I did. I thought I had covered all my tracks. I guess I was wrong, and I'm not as smart as I thought I was."

Fury looked at his employee with a bemused expression on his face. The S.H.I.E.L.D. director was a tall, African-American man, in his earlier fifties. He'd been a military man all his life; dedicated everything he had to protecting his country and its people. He had lost the vision in his left eye during his time at the CIA. He now wore a thin, black eye patch over it. Fury couldn't believe the doctor was actually telling him the truth.

"What did Stark do for you in return?" Fury then asked.

"He gave me Skybox tickets to the NBA playoffs, featuring the L.A. Lakers," Dr. Leroy answered him, again honestly. He saw no point in lying, when Fury already knew what he'd done.

"Kind of a cheap pay off, don't you think?" Fury now questioned.

"Not really," Leroy told him. "Do _you _have Skybox tickets for the Lakers? It's enough for me; that and the chance to do a favor for someone like Tony Stark."

_Shit, Stark had sure charmed this guy. What an insufferable, but necessary bastard Stark was,_ Fury thought. Then he said out loud, "Do you realize that this little stunt could've caused a lot of problems? It could raise legal issues and make people start questioning things that we don't want questioned. It undermines the agency's security when you do something like this."

"I merely identified a DNA sample, and then cross-referenced information to create a profile on its owner," Dr. Leroy said nonchalantly.

"But you used and viewed classified files, used government property for personal use, shared those files with an outside source, not to mention breaking another twenty or thirty rules to boot. You could not only lose your job, I could have you tried for treason, Dr. Leroy."

The DNA scientist was undaunted. "You won't do that, Director. You need me to help Bruce Banner and to find the flaws in the super soldier serum. You'll reprimand me and threaten me, but you won't go beyond that. Besides, Tony Stark is now working for S.H.I.E.L.D. and providing a generous amount of funding for its programs. It wasn't like I sold secrets to the enemy."

Fury was speechless at the man's guile. He didn't know whether to be pissed at or proud of the man's attitude. "Did Stark mention why he wanted you to identify Devonshire's DNA for him, or how he obtained it?"

"He only said he didn't want anyone to know about his search because he had a feeling she was in trouble and he wanted to help her," Dr. Leroy said, trying to remember what Stark had said to him. "He never mentioned how he got hold of her DNA, however."

This was good news. Maybe Stark was a better team player than Fury had given him credit for. Maybe he was going to help this woman with the unique weapon she wielded and talk her in to joining the Avenger Initiative S.H.I.E.L.D. that was trying to put together. There were many special and powerful individuals out there who, if given the right focus and direction, could make the world a better place. When Stark had popped up on the scene as Iron Man, Fury had seen a real chance of making it happen.

"You're right, Dr. Leroy," Fury returned to talking to the doctor. "We can't afford not to have you working for us, but you broke some pretty heavy duty rules and so the punishment must fit the crime. I, or one of my people, will be letting you know what that will be shortly. Until then, try to keep your nose clean, Doctor." And with that said, Fury stormed out of the lab, his entourage of agents right behind him.

He turned to one in particular and ordered, "Agent Coulson, get hold of Stark for me anyway you can. I need to talk to that son of bitch as soon as possible. Go through Miss Potts, his company, or Lt. Colonel James Rhodes, but get him on the line. He has a lot of questions to answer concerning Miss Devonshire and that incident at Port Los Angeles a few nights ago. It had his signature all over it when our agents investigated the scene."

"Yes, sir," Agent Coulson respond with sharply. He was instantly pulling out his Blackberry to locate Stark's contact information. Coulson smiled at the thought of being able to talk to Miss Pepper Potts again. He had decided that he kind of liked her, even though she was queen of putting him off.

She answered the phone on the third ring. "Ah, Agent Coulson," she said in way of greeting. "Now is not really a good time. Can I call you back?"

"I'm afraid not, Miss Potts," he told her firmly. "Director Fury urgently needs to talk to Mr. Stark."

"Listen, we're on route to the Stark aviation hangar at Santa Monica airport," Pepper informed him promptly. "Mr. Stark has an important meeting in New York this afternoon. I'll have him contact Director Fury at his earliest convenience." With that she hung up on him.

"Well?" Fury demanded after Coulson hung up his phone.

"She's doing it again, sir," Coulson answered stiffly. "Making excuses why Stark is unavailable, but I do know that he will be in New York City later this afternoon. We can catch him then."

Fury's demeanor was calm, but Coulson knew his boss was raging inside from the steel in his voice. "Oh, we'll catch him, Agent Coulson; we'll catch him. And then we'll bust his ass."

"Very good, sir," was Coulson's reply.

* * *

Violet had spent the entire morning arguing with Tony about going to New York with him and attending his meeting with Kenneth Irons. He seemed to think it would be therapeutic for her to face Irons down. He wanted Violet to accompany him and try out how it felt to be part of his security team, sharing the job alongside his regular and loyal security chief, Harold "Happy" Hogan. Tony thought it would be a good idea to have her by his side as his personal bodyguard for several reasons. The first one was if the press got wind of it, it would be a great publicity stunt: Iron Man having a woman on his security detail. The second one was it would be an in-your-face to Irons, show him that he couldn't intimidate either one of them. The third reason Tony guardedly kept to himself; he just wanted her to be with him, near him.

Tony had come up with a new strategy in trying to win Violet over. He decided to act totally business-like and professional. He didn't joke with her or tease her; he treated her just like he would any other employee he kept at arms' length. He was curious to see if she would miss his coy and provocative manner. Tony was going to act a little cold, but not unapproachable; friendly but distant. His explicit goal would be to eventually drive her into his arms, but even as he hated to admit it, part of him just wanted to enjoy frustrating her terribly. He had the feeling she really enjoyed bantering with him and would be lost without it. He knew from experience that if you wanted someone infatuated with you, you made yourself semi-unavailable. Tony knew it was working in the reverse; the more Violet resisted, the more he wanted her. He was also curious to see how long his willpower would last.

The whole suggestion had really freaked Violet out at first; her dream of Irons and his threats still very fresh in her mind. The blonde multi-billionaire wanted to wipe Stark out; she felt he was walking into a trap or an ambush of some type. Tony had tried to reassure her that Irons wouldn't make a move on Stark Industries' CEO in such a public setting. Tony was going to make sure the press knew he'd be in New York and meeting with the CEO of another one of the top Fortune 500 companies. Irons would make his move against Tony in secret, out of the limelight, away from public scrutiny.

"But he knows you're going to confront him; he'll be waiting for you," Violet had tried to reason against going. "He'll turn it around on you and make you and your company look bad."

"Let him try," Tony had replied, seemingly not worried. "I've got a few tricks up my sleeve, and I'll have back up. Ellen Dandridge, head of Stark Industries legal department, will be there, plus Charles Roth, one of the senior board of directors. They have been briefed on the situation and have been privy to all of the evidence I've acquired. Kenneth Irons will have a lot of explaining to do. I basically just want to rattle his chain anyway; you know, provoke him. I need know who my enemies are, Miss Devonshire."

Violet saw his logic, but she still was afraid. "I get it, Stark, but why do I have to go? I've been trying to get away from this man for over a year now. Tell me why in God's name would I want to show myself to him, in public, and put myself within his grasp?"

"To taunt him, Miss Devonshire, to show him you're not afraid of him, and to let him know he has no power over you. You will be so close, yet so far away," Tony spoke to her firmly. "I'll be with my full security detail, you included. We'll be fine before and during the meeting. It'll be afterward that we'll want to be cautious. You can do this, Miss Devonshire. Everybody will be behind you." Tony wanted to be true to his word that he wouldn't let Irons hurt her or get at her, but at the same time he wanted Violet to stand up to him. Tony would make damn sure his new bodyguard was as well looked after as he was supposed to be; he just wouldn't tell her about it.

Tony's last statements had quieted her for a moment, as she thought through what he had said. Then she had another question for him. "How are you going to explain my presence to the press? Who am I supposed to be? If I use my real identity a lot law enforcement agencies will be after me, especially in New York. That's a really hot zone for me, Stark. I can only change my appearance so much, without doing something really drastic, and I'm not about to do that."

"You needn't worry, Miss Devonshire, I've taken care of all of that," Tony had told her. "I've arranged for a new identity for you that will stand up to the toughest background checks known to man. No one will be able to find out who you really are, no matter how hard they dig. As of now, your past is erased and you're getting a fresh start. A select few may think you look like Violet Devonshire, but that will be mere coincidence."

"Do I even want to know how you pulled that off?" she asked with a raise of her elegant eyebrows. His use of her name so formally was beginning to bug her. What had happened to Violet? Although, it was true she couldn't bring herself to call him by his first name, he had called her by hers so easily yesterday; now he seemed to have changed his entire attitude toward her. She wasn't sure if she liked the change or not. It was nice not having to rebuff or ignore his passes at her, but a part of her had liked his lighthearted humor.

Tony coolly responded, "It's probably for the best that you don't know; plausible deniability and all that. Just trust me. I'll have Pepper supply you will all the forms of id that you'll need, like a California driver's license and a Social Security card. She'll also help you find something suitable to wear. Remember you are a reflection of me now, and public appearance matters. Mr. Hogan will be here shortly to start debriefing you on what your duties will be, and he'll issue you a legal and registered weapon."

Violet was speechless, just gaping at his down-to-business persona and how efficient and thorough he was being. He was fitting her as a cog into his well-oiled machine. It was comforting and aggravating at the same time. "Okay," was all she could bring herself to say in return, and by saying so she felt she had sealed her fate. She would not longer be running and hiding, she would be part of something; she would have somewhere to belong.

Pepper had indeed found her something fabulous to wear; the woman had style and taste. Since Violet was very much a female, Pepper felt a Secret Service-looking, man-fashioned suit would not do. Violet had scoffed at a Hillary Clinton type pantsuit idea as well. Pepper had decided to put together some tight-fitting dress pants that almost looked like leather, a black dress shirt with a large collar, which she had Violet wear untucked and with the top button unfastened, followed with a short tight suit coat and black knee-high boots. Stark's strawberry blonde personal assistant also helped Violet fasten on a shoulder holster for the 9mm pistol that Happy Hogan was going to give her.

The image Violet had presented was breathtaking; at least that's what Tony thought when he saw her. She looked professional, no-nonsense, and clean-cut, but there was also a touch of fashion model thrown in with an accompanying badass persona. She looked intimidating and enchanting at the same time. Violet had chosen to wear her hair up again in a sleek, high pony tail. She had the appearance of the perfect bodyguard for Tony Stark of Stark Industries; sexy, yet deadly, just like many of the weapons his company produced.

Tony had noticed the Witchblade still sitting on her right wrist in its bracelet disguise. It seemed to be the perfect finishing touch. Looking at the concealed weapon made Tony remember the weird and intense occurrence that took place in his workshop yesterday. Why had his mini Arc reactor caused the Witchblade to flip out the way it had? And why had his mini Arc reactor responded in much the same manner to the Witchblade? It continued to make his head spin as he tried to figure it out. Later, when Violet was more open to it, he knew he needed to discuss the incident with her, but now was not the time.

The new identity Stark had provided Violet with almost made her laugh, and she seriously thought about complaining to him about it. Her new driver's license bore the name of Jamie Jones. Could you get any cornier than that? But when Violet really thought about the name, it started to make sense to her. Tony Stark had a personal assistant named Pepper, a chief security agent named Happy, and now he would have a new bodyguard named J.J. She could just see the nickname coming, especially from Tony Stark. All in all, it would fit right in with the rest of the people Stark had around him. She also remembered that Tony's military friend was Lt. Colonel Rhodes, but Stark called him Rhodey. Violet guessed she could live with the name for now, but she still thought it was silly.

Now, Violet was sitting in a comfy seat aboard Stark's Boeing business jet trying to concentrate on all the information with which Harold "Happy" Hogan was filling her head. She was fighting the increasing fluttering of her stomach; in this case more than just a bad case of butterflies - these ones felt like they were attempting to eat their way out of her. Violet was also disturbed by Stark's behavior toward her. She couldn't figure out if he was mad at her for some unknown reason, or if he was really taking her request to back off seriously. With Stark one never knew what was truly going on in his head.

She had ridden with him in his Audi R8 to the airport. He'd insisted on driving his beloved car, and she - having been assigned to watch out for his personal safety - was forced to ride with him. He had driven at breakneck speeds, losing Hogan in the Phantom Rolls Royce limo and a few other following cars. They did eventually catch up and find Stark, but he didn't make it easy for them. The whole time they were driving he blared an Aerosmith CD. Stark spoke very little to her, and when he did it was to give her further instructions and cautions.

At one point she had tuned him out and listened to the words and rhythm of Aerosmith's "Back in the Saddle" and "Sweet Emotion". They were oldies, but goodies, dating back to the 70's. Violet silently wondered if Stark has chosen the music for a purpose, as she took in the meaning of the songs' words, or if he had chosen it completely at random. Tony Stark didn't seem to do random very much; he always had a purpose.

On the plane, Stark had sat going over reports, memos, and documents with Pepper, who looked stunning in a plum business suit and knee-length skirt. He left Violet in the cable hands of Happy Hogan, and had then seemed to ignore her. This was troubling to Violet, but it shouldn't have been. Stark was leaving her alone and not constantly pestering her, which she should have enjoyed. Instead, she felt cheated somehow. It was so dumb, Violet knew, but true nonetheless. She kept looking up the plane to where he was sitting, trying to be discrete about it and not obvious as to what she was doing.

He was a captivating sight in his charcoal gray Armani suit that had a tiny bit of light blue and black stripping to it, if one looked at it closely enough. He also had on a light blue dress shirt that matched well with the faint stripping in the suit. The tie he had on was a little wider than normal, but not terribly so, and was light blue, yellow, gray, and black diagonally stripped. His hair was combed back and he looked very well-groomed. This was the Tony Stark Violet knew from the magazine covers. He looked so fine and dapper that Violet couldn't help but enjoy the view. He was a very yummy sight.

She put the brakes on those thoughts very quickly. She was not going to fall for his good looks, charm, and the sense of power that came off him in waves. Kenneth Irons' words from her dream kept repeating in her head, "He'll break your heart." Violet had painstaking walled off many of her feelings and emotions over the last year. It was better to feel nothing, than to feel the pain of loss and betrayal. She wouldn't let herself truly care for anyone, or let herself love anyone. Sure, she still had compassion and showed kindnesses when she needed to, but that was different than letting another person get to know the real Violet Devonshire. Violet was beginning to genuinely fear that Stark was somehow worming his way past her defenses. She shockingly realized she was starting to care about him. That was very, very bad. Maybe she should jump ship the second she had the chance to, but would that leave her vulnerable to Irons, was the question.

The five and half hour flight passed by very quickly; much too quickly for Violet's liking. She was stiff and tense, her stomach was now clenching, not just fluttering, and she thought she might be hyperventilating. She felt a little dizzy, her eyes didn't want to focus for her from time to time, and her hands were numb. A huge panic attack was threatening to overwhelm her. In just under a half an hour she would have to face one of her greatest fears; a true monster, Kenneth Irons.

Violet tried to concentrate on her new job; protecting Stark. Having something else to focus on, helped to stem the tide that was threatening to swamp her. The representatives from Stark's New York division met them and they piled into another Phantom Rolls Royce limo, backed up with two security cars. Ellen Dandridge was a woman in her earlier fifties with very dark brown hair. She had streaks of gray running through it, and it made her an exquisite sight. Charles Roth was a distinguished gentleman in his earlier sixties with graying, sandy brown hair. He looked like a stern college professor or the consummate businessman one would expect him to be.

Stark had sent Pepper off to prepare his Manhattan penthouse apartment for their stay there. Violet of course never left Stark's side; she became very aware of her and his surroundings, checking for any possible threats or problems. She could feel the Witchblade's power rush around her and whisper to her, knowing it needed to aid her in her task. Everything seemed in order, for the moment. A large amount of press core had assaulted them at the airport; cameras flashing, reporters shouting questions at Stark. He answered a few, and then moved on. The press followed them to Vorschlag, but hung back waiting to see what would happen.

It was when they pulled up in front of the Vorschlag Industries towering skyscraper that Violet felt like she was going to throw up. Tony, who had been unobtrusively watching her every move, saw the blood drain from her face, and knew she was a little green around the gills. He was proud of her for having made it this far. Happy was pleased with how fast she caught on to what was expected of her, and had spoken highly of her professional manner to Tony as well. Tony knew he needed to help Violet out, ease her tension. He'd made it about eight hours now without one flirtatious remark or gesture around her. Maybe it was time to let something rip. God knew how he was dying to give her a good teasing.

As they entered the huge and massive lobby of the Vorschlag building and announced their arrival, he slowly made his way closer to Violet. They had to make their way up a slightly spiraled, split, gray granite staircase to a reception desk up the stairs. A woman with short, red hair sat behind the reception desk with a small telephone headset on her right ear. Once they had made their arrival known, they then had to wait to be confirmed and allowed up into the conference room. Tony took Violet aside for a moment, as they waited. He tried not to bounce on his feet; he had a doozy of a comment for her. He'd been coming up with it all morning and afternoon.

"You okay, Miss Devonshire?" he asked quietly, leaning into her. "Or should I call you Miss Jones now?" To any passerby it looked like he was giving last minute instructions to his bodyguard, or discussing a potential security problem.

"I'm standing in the middle of the den of lions waiting for the blood-letting to begin, so no I'm not okay, Stark," she replied to his question in a very hushed tone. _God, he smells so good,_ Violet couldn't help but think as Stark leaned in even closer to her.

He now could whisper right in her ear. "I can see that your awfully tense, Miss Devonshire. You need to loosen up a little," he told her as he pulled his RayBan sunglasses down onto his nose, just enough so she could see his eyes. Then he hit her with his best shot. "Do you need to have your own private little meeting first, to relieve that tension? You know, you, me, and a couple of rounds in a broom closet could fix you right up." He glanced at her with an extremely sultry look in his eyes after he spoke.

Violet completely froze where she stood; the breath taken right out of her. She felt the blush start at her toes and rise throughout her entire body as it made its way to her head. It brought with it a warm surge of sensation. She tried to show no reaction at all, hiding behind a stoic mask. Did Stark just say what she thought he'd said? Did he just try and proposition her? Now of all times? Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she could hear it beating in her ears. The Witchblade didn't help matters when it decided to show her visions of what Stark had suggested they do in vivid detail. Her breath caught in her throat and she almost moaned. She had to close her eyes for a minute and bite her lip.

This wasn't fair; Stark and the Witchblade were ganging up on her. The truth was she actually liked the suggestion; well at least her body seemed to react favorably to it. Her hormones felt like they were doing a little jig deep inside of her. Violet was extremely grateful she was wearing designer sunglasses as well; they hid the raw desire and passion that she was sure was burning in them. She tried to breathe normally, but her breath came out more shakily than she would have liked. As the shock wore off, she realized just Stark's act of trying to provoke a reaction out of her had made her feel better. It had pushed some of her fear away. Stark was still Stark; still had one thing on his mind. Violet felt a strange sense of relief at that thought.

"I think that would be kind of unprofessional, don't you think, Stark?" she finally managed to respond. Her voice was much too husky; now Stark would know just how his statement had affected her, if he hadn't already noticed the blush and her eyes briefly closing.

"Only if we got caught," he shot back at her, a sly smile playing at his lips; yeah, he knew. "But then isn't half the thrill taking the chance of getting caught?"

"Yeah, and the other half's the ride," Violet suddenly retorted, risking a glance at him. She couldn't believe she had just said that. She had answered his come on with one of her own. What was wrong with her? Stark was having a maddening effect on her. She would never have said something like that before.

Now it was Tony's turn to freeze and stand stock still. He had the feeling from Violet's body language and tone of voice that he'd gotten to her. His words had struck home, and Violet had almost melted into a puddle on the floor in front on him, but he hadn't been expecting her to hit it back into his court so effortlessly. Warm and electric pulses flowed through his veins. Violet's words had stirred his blood; his need for her came back a hundred fold. If seemed as if his willpower had fled from him so fast, he wondered if he really had any in the first place. He would have this woman if it was the last thing he did.

He gazed at her, still barely peering at her from over his sunglasses. He made the gaze as sensual as he could. "Be careful, Violet, you're playing with fire now," he baited her.

Any reply she would have made was cut off as a gorgeous, leggy blonde informed them that they should follow her up to the twenty-ninth floor and Conference Room 29B. They would have to finish this little scene later, for now it was time to face the lions and hope that the Christians had the power to come out on top. Violet sighed internally. Stark had finally used her first name again, and that too, was strangely a big relief.

She knew from the brief widening of Stark's eyes that her come back to his lewd proposal had really surprised him. She had caught him off guard and that filled her with a weird sense of satisfaction. She had gotten the great Tony Stark good, and she was proud of it. Violet then thought how ludicrous all this was. Stark was right, she was playing with fire, and she would get burned badly if she didn't find a way to put a lid on the situation and fast. She was not going to admit to herself or anyone else that she was lusting after Tony Stark; not this girl, no way.

_But you are my sister, you are, _the Witchblade suddenly decided to throw its two cents in. _And that is a good place to start; at least you're feeling _something _again._

Violet wanted to tell the damn thing to shut up and mind its own business, but she realized that it already knew what she was thinking and that she would look foolish talking to herself. Finally, she turned her attention back to the reality at hand. She needed to concentrate on Tony's safety right now and not his other attributes. Plus, she would be facing her nemesis very shortly, and she needed all her wits about her. This wasn't going to be fun. _Damn you, Tony Stark_, Violet thought as they approached the doors to Conference Room 29B.

TBC

**Ya know I love reviews, so please tell what you thought of this chapter, especially the zingers between Tony and Violet at the end. :)**


	9. Chapter 9: Deal With the Devil

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own any of the rights to anything Iron Man, that right goes to Marvel Studios/Comics. I don't own any of the rights to anything dealing with the Witchblade that right goes to Top Cow Productions. The only thing I claim as mine is any original characters I created and the plot of this particular story. No copy right infringement is meant. This is for fun and not for money.**

**Rated T for language.**

**A/N: Now that Violet is put in a position to face her greatest fear - Kenneth Irons – what will happen? This chapter is about making choices and the reasons for making them. Readers will get to learn more about Irons' character in this chapter. He is a villain you just love to hate; at least I do. He is a good foil for Tony too. They're both billionaire industrialists; rich and powerful. Irons is a genius at manipulation and getting what he wants; Tony is a true inventive genius. Let's get ready to rumble. LOL!! Please read and ****review.**** I live for feedback. It seems I have lost a few reviewers and that is sad. :( Hopefully, I can pick up a few more kind souls this time around. Thanks!!!**

**A huge and grateful shout out to AblatedCrayon for once again doing an awesome beta job. Thanks for pointing out places of confusion and making me realize how to make things clearer for my readers. Also thanks for all the cool ideas on how to show Tony's smarts in how he would deal with the Witchblade. :) A big and happy thanks to RID3RLVR (Ari) as well. You cleaned up many of my horrid typos, and helped me get the Shakespeare quote right. :)**

**- Ladyhawke Legend**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

**Deal With the Devil**

As they entered the room, Violet tried to assess the surroundings quickly and skillfully as Happy had instructed her. The room was literally all windows, at least on two sides. They were up rather high, and if one was scared of heights their stomach would probably have been in their throat. The glass was slightly tinted to protect the occupants from direct sunlight. A huge oval, oak table took up most of the room. There were several soft-looking, tan office chairs placed around the massive table, and a whiteboard took up the one of the walls that wasn't all windows. An overhead projector was positioned so that it would display whatever type of media presentation needed to be made in the room. The carpet was a rich cream color, and the wood paneling matched the oak table. Altogether it was all an impressive and elegant sight.

Violet didn't like the two walls of windows; it was too exposed. Tony wasn't worried about Irons taking a shot at him in Irons' own building, but Violet was. She could tell that Happy was not happy with the arrangements either. They needed to make Tony sit somewhere around the table that didn't leave him totally open to the windows, but that was going to be easier said than done. Their boss had already taken a key position at one of the heads of the table and was opening his briefcase with all of his evidence and proof of wrongdoing on Vorschlag's part. Happy produced a laptop computer for him and helped him plug it in and hook it up to the overhead projector.

At that moment Kenneth Irons, his bodyguard, Ian Nottingham, and another man that Violet didn't recognized waltzed into the room. Violet felt herself involuntarily stiffen, going rigid. Her earlier panic attack feelings all came rushing back to her. She was standing back and out of the way, so Irons hadn't noticed her. The Witchblade stayed quiet, not wanting to draw attention to Violet or itself, just yet.

Nottingham was wearing a black suit and had cut his coal black hair since the last time Violet had run into him. His dark moustache and beard were spruced up, for once, and he might have been attractive if his brown eyes weren't so cold and dead. The other man with them was younger than Nottingham and had a serious look about him. He was dressed in a dark tan or light brown suit, and his dark hair was cut short in a handsome manner. This man was thinner than Nottingham, not as bulky, but Violet could sense his strength. He gave off the same creepy vibes that Nottingham did; at least in Violet's opinion, but he was more able to pull off the-guy-next-door persona than Nottingham could. He also had a military air about him, much like Nottingham did, but it was a lot less obvious with him than with Nottingham.

"Welcome to Vorschlag Industries, Mr. Stark," Irons said by way of greeting. "It is wonderful to finally have you here. You're something of a legend in the business community, and I was pleasantly surprised to hear that you now wanted to meet with me." He had on a light gray suit with matching tie. His hair was combed neatly, and almost looked white, it was so blonde.

_I bet Stark's call gave you a heart attack, you lying son of a bitch, _Violet thought bitterly. _You're his biggest competitor, and therefore, your biggest enemy._

"I wish I could say that it's a pleasure to be here, Mr. Irons, but that would be a lie," Tony said in response. "What I want to discuss with you is not of a genial nature."

Irons was silent for a moment, maybe sizing Tony up, Violet wasn't sure. "Well, I'm sorry to hear that, Mr. Stark. I, for one, have been looking forward to this meeting."

_Yeah, right!_ Violet laughed to herself. _You've probably only been looking forward to meeting Stark to see how you could destroy him._

It was almost as if Irons had heard Violet's thoughts, because his head swiveled right in her direction. His cold, gray-blue eyes took her in with shock and bewilderment. He recognized her, but couldn't quite accept the fact that she was right there in front of him. Violet pretended not to notice his sudden interest in her, and turned on the elusive vibe that all bodyguards seemed to have about them; a casual disinterest in what's going on, but really observing everything like a hawk. He took his time in appraising her, which only added to her nervousness. His eyes slowly moved up and down her body, stopping on her right wrist. He smiled maliciously at her, raising the hairs on the back of her neck.

Kenneth Irons was utterly beside himself. He couldn't believe that the Witchblade and its beautiful wielder were actually here in _his_ building. So Stark had put her on his payroll; hiding her in plain sight. This was too rich. What had possessed her to come with Stark? Where had she finally gotten a backbone from? Irons got his answer as his eyes flicked to Tony Stark for a moment, and then back to Violet. Stark was influencing her; he had somehow persuaded her to try and face her fears. Well, Irons was going to make that nearly impossible for her. She was still such a naïve little girl sometimes.

Tony didn't fail to notice where Irons' gaze rested and why he had suddenly grown so quiet. "I brought my company's Chief Legal Advisor, Ms. Ellen Dandridge and one of the senior Board of Directors, Mr. Charles Roth. The others with me are purely for security purposes," Tony said, trying to get Irons' attention off of Violet. He didn't like the feral look the man was giving her; not one little bit. Tony had a group of four security people: Happy, Violet, and two other large fellows.

"Of course," Irons commented. "One can't be too careful these days. And I would think that after your horrible ordeal in Afghanistan, that you would be more cautious with your safety, Mr. Stark." He was very smug as he said this to Tony. "I also see that you are an equal opportunity employer," he added and indicated Violet with an inclination of his head.

Tony tried to act completely unfazed by Irons' baiting. "I pride myself on it," he shot back. "And I'll warn you; looks can be deceiving. I assure you Miss Jones is quite competent at her job. Now, who do you have with you?" Tony asked, working to steer Irons away from Violet again. Maybe having her come along wasn't such a hot idea after all.

"This is Mr. Ian Nottingham, my Head of Security, and Mr. Jack Chambers, my Chief Financial Officer," Irons said by way of introduction. "I didn't realize that I might need my legal advisors here today," he added at the end, trying to convey confusion as to why Tony had brought legal counsel.

Chambers' gaze had also fallen on Violet, and it became intense and almost sinister. It chilled Violet to the bone, just like Nottingham's gaze tended to do. There was no doubt Chambers was human, as was Nottingham, but something seemed different about the two of them. The Witchblade reacted defensively toward them, as if they were a greater threat than the average Joe on the street. Nottingham, Violet had learned, had gone through some heavy duty military training and had been part of some kind of military experiment to enhance his ability to fight and be a good soldier.

_Oh shit, _thought Violet with deep worry as a memory came back to her. _Please tell me he's not another Dragon._

When she had first come into contact with the Witchblade, and after she had realized what kind of man Irons truly was and fled from him, she had been hunted by a quasi-military group hired by Irons, called the Black Dragons. Vorschlag Industries had funded a military project using aggression-enhancing substances to produce stronger and fiercer soldiers. The drugs were used in conjunction with subliminal message exposure to violent images. The effects of the chemicals made for some soldiers to be reckoned with not only in speed, strength, and agility, but also intelligence and strategical thinking. A close-knit group of warrior-poets was created. The name of the corps was based off dragon imagery, meant to pump the men up and make them believe they were invincible and immortal.

All seemed to be going according to plan, until the Black Dragon unit decided it didn't need to follow orders anymore; they would make and carry out their own directives. To save face and to keep the failure as hidden as possible, Irons had to eventually have Nottingham – the only one fully under Irons influence and loyal – track the others down and eliminate them. The handful that remained, Irons used as his own personal assassination squad. Irons employed them to try and flush Violet out, but that had ended in disaster, killing off all but Nottingham; or so Violet had been led to believe. Apparently, there was one other member of the elite experimental group still around, besides Nottingham: Chambers.

Tony thought Chambers was rather young to be the CFO of a high profile company like Vorschlag Industries. Obadiah had been close to his father's age, and wasn't a young pup anymore. Thinking of Stane was a bad thing for Tony to do. He had been like a father to Tony after his own had died, and he'd put up with Tony's wild and extravagant lifestyle. Tony had thought it was out of friendship or even family love that Obadiah had done it; come to find out Stane was doing it for his own profit and well-being. He'd liked Tony not being responsible; it had allowed him a lot of power and control to do what he wanted. It still cut Tony deeply that Obadiah had betrayed him so monstrously. It hurt every time he mused on it.

"I see that you haven't replaced your Chief Financial Officer yet," Irons now noted. "It was a shame to hear of Mr. Stane's plane crash. He was a keen player in the business world. Will you be able to go on without him? Who will you call upon to take on his mantel?"

Irons' words made Tony sick. Irons knew very well how corrupt Obadiah had become, and here he was touting him like he was some kind of saint or something. "Until recently, I would have been hard pressed replace his talent and wisdom. But I've come to learn that he was responsible for a lot of under the table deals and illegal activity in the name of my company. If he hadn't of been killed, I'd have fired his ass and brought him up on criminal charges. Kind of like what I'm going to do to you, Mr. Irons," Tony replied trying to keep his rage under control. "Maybe you _should_ call in some legal counsel."

"I'm afraid I don't quite understand you, Mr. Stark," Irons feigned ignorance. "What are you talking about?" He let his gaze wander to Violet again. Tony hated the gleam in the man's eyes.

"Oh, I think you do, Mr. Irons," Tony said going after the other CEO. "I have documented meetings between you and Obadiah from his own computer, and I have proof of Stark Industries weapons being sold illegally by Vorschlag." Tony paused as he indicated the files spread around him and the laptop computer in front of him.

Irons gestured for himself and his people to take seats at the table. "I can assure you that Vorschlag Industries has done no such thing," Irons said with a stony face after he was seated.

_You are such a lying sack of shit, Irons!_ Violet silently raged at him. How could he sit there and deny it? Tony had tons of evidence against his company; enough to bury Irons with. The blonde industrialist's eyes sought out Violet yet again, as if in response to her thoughts. He even winked at her; Violet so wanted to deck him.

"Oh, I think it has, and I have enough proof of wrongdoing on the part of your company to either put it into complete bankruptcy, or take you to court for years," Tony informed Irons hotly.

"If our company has done any wrongdoing, we will completely investigate your accusations," Mr. Chambers now spoke up. His voice wasn't really low or deep, but it seemed that way because he talked in a very hushed manner; each word spoken slowly and with great care. It washed over Violet like cool water; it also had a gravelly quality to it. "But, I can personally account for all of our inventory and the state our books are in, Mr. Stark."

Tony ripped into Chambers. "Well, then you've done a piss poor job handling your company's finances because it's been selling Stark Industries merchandise and product without any authorization or license to do so. I can link my weapons to several of your subsidiaries, and then directly back to Mr. Irons himself."

"Show us your proof then, by all means, Mr. Stark," Chambers said without much reaction. "Then will see if we really need to call our lawyers."

_I've got some proof of wrongdoing as well, _Violet thought to herself, as Tony and Ellen launched into their pile of evidence. _All those poor girls you were selling on the black market as slaves. I bet I could blast that all over the media and they'd eat you alive, Irons._

_Good luck in linking that back to me personally, Violet, my sweet, _Irons said, his voice filling her head. _I have a number of people who can take the fall for that, as they will take the fall for what your beloved Anthony Stark is trying to pin on me._

Violet almost tripped over her own feet as she felt herself involuntarily step backwards. She took a glance at Irons, who appeared to be very focused on what Tony and Ellen were discussing. No one could tell he was having another, private conversation. How the hell was Irons in her head? How could he hear her thoughts?

_There as so many things you don't know about the Witchblade, Violet; so many things, _he spoke in her mind again.

_Get out of my head, you sick bastard! _Violet shouted back at him with just her thoughts. Then she tried to call out to the Witchblade for help against Irons' mental assault. Silence greeted her plea; it seemed to have abandoned her again.

_I think I like it here, _he thought smugly to her. _Your mind is incredibly complex and a joy to explore. Ah, I see that you have a very strong desire to let Stark bed you. You haven't changed, my dear; you still have a thing for dangerous men._

_Stop it! _Violet's mind cried. _I have no intention of winding up in Stark's bed. As soon as this meeting is over, I'm out of here. Out of his life and out of yours, thank you very much. Kill him if you want to; I really don't care. He saved my life, so I'm merely doing him a favor. He means nothing to me Irons, nothing. _It suddenly felt like Irons was right beside her, caressing her cheek. Violet attempted to hide any outside reaction; she didn't want anybody to know what was going on. She tried once again to tap into the Witchblade's power, but nothing happened. The ancient weapon was refusing to come to her aid it seemed.

Irons' voice spoke to her mind again, like he was whispering in her ear. '_The lady doth protest too much, methinks'. Your feelings betray you, Violet. You're falling for Stark; you like him; you want him. He preoccupies your thoughts. Something else I didn't tell you is that I can feel or experience whatever the wielder and Witchblade are experiencing. I felt your pain when you were shot, and I feel your desire for Stark's kiss. This is most amusing, my dear._

_No, no, you're wrong Irons, _Violet tried to convince him. _I want absolutely nothing to do with him. You're right when you said he'd hurt me, conquer me, and then leave me. He is an arrogant and selfish bastard just like you. All this goody-two-shoes stuff is just an act. I'm leaving him at the first possible moment._

_I don't think so, Violet_, Irons told her mentally. _The Witchblade won't let you. You see it wants to fulfill an ancient prophecy. One I never told you about; partly because I interpreted it incorrectly. I was under the mistaken impression that the prophecy was talking about me and Sara Pezzini. Then when the Witchblade found you, I tried to make it fit for you and I. Now, however, I see its true meaning. When the Witchblade meets its Iron Prince, its full power will be unleashed, and their heirs will begin a new bloodline. Together they will build an avenging force that will sweep the world. You can see where I thought I was the Iron Prince, but it turns out that it's your precious Tony Stark._

The Witchblade had been trying to fulfill a prophecy this whole time? Did it pick her purposely as its wielder; not just out of lack of a true bloodline wielder? It thought Stark and her would make this prophecy come to pass? What did it mean by heirs? Did it mean children? She was supposed to have kids with Tony Stark? Forget that! Violet's mind was racing with all of the thoughts that Irons was filling it with.

He continued his explanation to her, as if he was right beside her. _I wanted it to be you and I, Violet, my sweet. I tried to make it Elizabeth Bronte and myself; she was the wielder before Sara. I took some of her DNA and some of my own and had Ian Nottingham created. I had hoped he would be an heir of the new bloodline, and even though he has a strong connection to the Witchblade, it still rejected him. So I waited another thirty years, hoping the next wielder and I would merge and fulfill the prophecy. Sara had seemed so much more promising than Elizabeth. But Sara, well, Sara was a complete failure and waste of time. You were my last hope, Violet, but now I can see that slipping through my fingers. If I cannot have you and the Witchblade, I am surely not going to let Iron Man have you. He must die, if I am to live._

Violet couldn't believe what she was hearing; this was _not_ happening. Just when she thought the nightmare couldn't get any worse, it did. She really didn't know how she felt about Stark, but she couldn't let another person be murdered in her name, because of her. Stark might go on to do some great things, if his change of heart was sincere and lasting. She couldn't let Irons kill him and deprive the world of that source of potential good. She swallowed hard, as she tasted bile in the back of her throat. She had to do something; for the greater good. Irons wasn't buying the fact that she didn't care what happened to Stark, obviously. She had hoped that Irons would spare Stark, if she wasn't part of his life. Now she could see that wouldn't be the case.

_What if I give myself over to you, Irons? _she abruptly asked him in her mind. _What if I give you exactly what you want and never look back? You can have me and the Witchblade, just spare Stark's life. It's my fault he is involved. I'll come to you, if you let him be. _What had she just done?

_Well, my dear, that is quite an about face on your part, _Irons answered her snidely. _You must really care for him to trade your life for his._

_No, I don't! _Violet exclaimed in her mind. _I just can't be responsible for another person's death, Irons. Can't you see that? I can't keep letting it happen; you've won._

Irons seemed to consider her proposal carefully, probably looking for any deceit on Violet's part. _All right, I accept your offer, Violet. You let me have you, and I'll leave Stark alone. You must come to me quickly, however. I will not wait any longer for you._

Violet suddenly felt violently ill; sweat broke out on her forehead and her stomach lurched. Her breath became hard to catch, and she felt dizzy. She felt way too warm. This was different than her nervousness from before. Pain lanced up her arm, as if the Witchblade was pushing its sharply pointed bits into her skin. She couldn't stay on her feet, and she pitched forward. Her sudden keeling over startled everyone in the room.

Happy was the first to act and to reach Violet as she lay, sprawled on her stomach on the conference room floor. She was only half-conscious and moaning, like she was in extreme pain. Happy went to turn her over onto her back to check her condition. As he touched her, a searing pain shot through him, like he had stuck his whole hand and arm in an unsealed electrical socket. It caused him to drop Violet and spring back away from her.

"Damn, that hurt!" he hissed.

Both Nottingham and Irons stood from the table and started toward Violet with Nottingham out front. For some strange reason, Tony did not want either one of them anywhere near Violet. He completely forgot where he was and whatever he had been in the middle of doing. He leapt forward from behind the head of the table trying to beat Nottingham and Irons to Violet's prone form.

"Don't you touch her!" he growled at Nottingham and slammed himself into Irons' bodyguard.

They both stumbled and fell into the wall right behind Violet. Nottingham was surprisingly swift to recover, and with stunning speed he grabbed Tony, twisting both of Tony's arms behind his back and forcing him to his knees. That was all it took for Tony's other two, heavy-set bodyguards, and Happy, who was now on his feet, to draw their 9mm Gloch pistols and train them on Nottingham.

While all this was going on, Irons had reached Violet's side. He squatted down to examine her more closely. Something felt wrong about all this to him; there was something familiar about the pain she was experiencing. He reached out to touch her, like Happy had, and received the same kind of electrical shock. It forced him back a few feet away from Violet, and he lost his footing. Nottingham instantly released Tony, going to his master's aide. Chambers was the only one still in his seat at the oak table, observing with a scowl on his face. Tony's advisors were standing in stunned silence.

Once Nottingham released Tony, he made his way over to Violet. Tony hesitated for a moment when he got close to her. What if he got the same shock treatment that Happy and Irons had? He assumed that had something to do with the Witchblade, but he had no idea what it was doing or why. Could Irons be doing this to her? Tony doubted that. Irons had seemed just as surprised by the sudden turn of events as everyone else, and he had been violently zapped as well. Violet suddenly convulsed and let out another pain-filled moan. Tony just couldn't stand by and watch her struggle like that. He had to get her out of here and to his New York penthouse. Then he could see if he needed to consult a doctor. If it was the Witchblade causing this fit, or whatever you wanted to call it, a physician may not be able to any good.

Finally, Tony bent down and went to take Violet up and into his arms. As he slid an arm under her legs and one around her back, he experienced no electrical shock. It seemed it was okay if he touched her, but no one else. He gathered her up and shifted her as comfortably as he could into his arms as he stood, holding her. Irons looked like he was about to blow a head gasket, he was so angry. He was still sitting on the floor, not quite able to stand yet.

"I'm taking her home and then calling a doctor," Tony suddenly announced. "I'm sorry to cut our meeting short, but my people's health and well-being come before business. I'll have Ms. Dandridge and Mr. Roth stay and finish up. If you'll excuse me." With that said, Tony signaled to his security men to holster their weapons and follow him.

Irons looked like he wanted to say something or protest, but he remained silent and just nodded his head.

Chambers spoke up as Tony started through the conference room doors out into the hallway. "Your case against Vorschlag seems to be pretty substantial. Someone has been using us all. Please allow me sometime to mount my own investigation, before you take any direct legal action. I think that's only fair."

"This meeting was a courtesy, Mr. Chambers; one businessman to another. A chance to come clean," was Tony's response. "The evidence presented here _will_ make its way to a federal agency, and you _will _have to answer to the rule of the law." Then he was gone from the room and down the hall, at almost a run. Happy and his team close behind.

It didn't take long to get Violet down to the limo, but the press was still out there in full force. Camera flashes went off everywhere and reporters started shouting, wanting to know what was going on; who was the woman in Stark's arms, was she sick, hurt, or dead, and so on. Tony ignored them all and trusted Happy and his friends to clear them a good-sized path to the limo. Happy opened the door to the back seat, and Tony gently got Violet positioned along one of the long seats, and then got in himself.

He had felt something move under Violet's clothes as he carried her. Now that they were in a more private setting and Happy was getting them out of there, Tony decided to really look Violet over and see what in the hell was going on. He pulled her suit coat off and gasped at what he saw. The Witchblade had drastically changed its form. It was snaked all the way up Violet's right arm and around her neck. It looked like the tentacles of some giant sea creature or some man-eating plant. Parts of the tentacles seemed to be embedded deeply into Violet's flesh, deep into her muscle tissue. They didn't cause her to bleed, however, but they had torn right through her clothes. He watched in horror as a tentacle completely shredded her right pant leg as it wound it way around her leg. The tentacles withered and constricted themselves, gripping Violet ever tighter.

"Oh my God!" Tony exclaimed in a whisper. "What's it doing to you, Violet? Can you hear me, sweetheart?" he asked trying to get a response from her. She merely moaned, and her eyes fluttered for a moment, but that was all.

Tony pushed the button to lower the window between the back seat and the front seat so he could talk to Happy. "Get us home quickly, Mr. Hogan. Violet's in real trouble."

"On the double, sir," was Happy's response.

Pulling out his cell phone, Tony hurriedly speed-dialed Pepper. She picked up on the second ring. "Pepper, we've got a bit of a situation here," he told her before she could say anything. "The Witchblade has gone ape-shit, and it maybe killing Violet: I don't know. We may have to try and get it off her somehow, before it gets the chance to do that. Make sure Jarvis is uploaded into the penthouse's mainframe, and have him ready up a scanner. We need to find out what this thing is made of; is it biological or mechanical or something else? Have Jarvis also prep a small yield EMP bomb. If it turns out to be electrically powered, I'll want to short it out. It might not be a bad idea to prep some medical equipment too. You know like a heart and brain wave monitor; stuff like that. Some epinephrine in case of heart failure and some morphine for pain might be good to have on hand too. I'm not gonna let it kill her." Tony literally fired off a list of things for Pepper to do.

"I'll…I'll see what I can round up, Mr. Stark," was Pepper's hesitant reply. "What happened?" she then asked.

"I don't have any freakin' idea, Miss Potts," he said in exasperation. "One minute the meeting was going fine, and then the next Violet just collapsed. When I got her to the car, I saw the Witchblade just going crazy. It's all wrapped around her right side almost like webbing or something, and she seems to be in a lot pain."

"I'm assuming you'll be here soon then?" Pepper queried. "Do you want me to call a doctor?"

Tony shook his head, and then realized Pepper couldn't see it, so he said, "No, no. I don't want to involve anybody else from the outside on this. If it comes to that we'll get somebody from S.H.E I.L.D. to look at her."

"Okay," Pepper said very slowly. She didn't like the sound of this at all. "I'll be ready when you get here then."

"Thanks, Pepper," he said affectionately. "I really mean that."

"I know you do, Tony; I know you do," she told him softly and hung up.

* * *

"This is unacceptable!" Irons shouted at Ian Nottingham, as they had retreated to Irons' top floor office. "The Witchblade can't do this! Violet is not a true bloodline wielder!"

Nottingham stood a little ways off with his head bowed. "It seems that it has chosen to test her like the others, however. I'm surprised it has taken so long for it to do so."

Irons looked at Nottingham with a fiery glare. "It didn't have to before now. Violet was the perfect wielder; doing everything the Witchblade wished without any resistance. She seems to be the first not to shy away or have trouble accepting the Witchblade's will and control. They bonded the moment Violet gave herself completely over to it. Then I foolishly put her through my own gauntlet, and that had seemed to help Violet embrace the Witchblade even more fully. But now," he turned away from Nottingham and paced to the window, "Violet is resisting the Witchblade. She is in conflict with it. She is trying to assert her own will and fighting against it, just like all the others. If they are to truly become one being, it has to test her; put her through the Periculum. It is the only way it can be totally sure of Violet."

"Why did it choose now to do so? It has had many other opportunities to test her. Why does it do this at this time?" Nottingham wanted to know.

"Because I thoughtlessly forced its hand," Irons confessed. "I put the pressure on Violet to make a choice; be mine or Stark would die. She chose to give herself to me. I had her, Ian; I had her. But by doing so I forced the Witchblade to take control. If Violet Devonshire and the Witchblade fully bond, I will have no choice but to destroy her. If she successfully passes the Periculum, then she will be uncontrollable. It is Sara Pezzini all over again. I cannot wait another thirty years for a new wielder, or continue to play this cat and mouse game with the current one. Once again, I let my desires and appetites outstrip my common sense and reason."

"I can't believe it let _him _touch her and itself, but not me!" Irons' suddenly changed his rant. "I, who have worn it and known its heart! Stark is a dead man. He will not be part of the Witchblade's legacy. You hear me! He will not! Make the phone call we discussed earlier, Ian. Call upon our Middle Eastern friend, and tell him he can have his revenge."

"Yes, master," Nottingham replied curtly. He knew exactly what he was supposed to do, who he was supposed to call.

Suddenly, Irons cried out as pain encompassed his body and forced him to grab the window seal for support. The fingers on his right hand contracted into a claw-like form; his interlacing circles scar burning. "It has begun," he said as he felt the pain and struggle of the Witchblade wielder.

TBC

**Uh-oh, what's gonna to happen? I left it at kind of a bad spot didn't I? Reviews are a good way to motivate me to continue. Let me know what you think. Thanks.**


	10. Chapter 10: Trial By Fire

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own any of the rights to anything Iron Man, that right goes to Marvel Studios/Comics. I don't own any of the rights to anything dealing with the Witchblade that right goes to Top Cow Productions. The only thing I claim as mine is any original characters I created and the plot of this particular story. No copy right infringement is meant. This is for fun and not for money.**

**Rated T for language.**

**A/N: Okay, this chapter is all about the Periculum, or the ultimate Witchblade test; every wielder has to go through it some time or another. I do not profess to be an expert on the subject, never having read the comic. My writing is based solely on what I've seen in the TNT TV show. I used the TV show's portrayal as my template and changed things to fit my character and my ideas. In the show when Sara Pezzini went through the Periculum, she had to deal with past wielders: Joan of Arc, a Celtic warrior queen named Cathain, and Elizabeth Bronte, the wielder right before Sara. I chose other wielders that I liked better; hopefully readers will too. Each person I picked is technically a wielder, according to the Witchblade canon. Here again, Violet gets to look inside herself and see who she really is. Wouldn't it be nice if we could all take stock of our lives and see who we really are? I think – and this is the optimist in me – that we would all be pleasantly surprised. And, oh yeah, Tony gets the inside scoop on all of this. :)**

**Thanks again to AblatedCrayon for your guidance and great suggestions. Thanks also to RID3RLVR (Ari) for her time and talents as well. You guys rock!!! And thanks to all of you who reviewed. I think I even picked up a couple of new people. That was just awesome!!! Please keep the reviews coming; they are great!!! Enough of me; enjoy!!!!**

**- Ladyhawke Legend**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

**Trial by Fire**

By the time Tony got Violet out of the car and up the back elevator to the penthouse, the Witchblade had spread its tentacled-self up Violet's left arm, down her left leg, around her waist, and up her back, so it had completely entwined around her entire body. Violet had completely gone unconscious, and Tony got no reaction out of her at all. The only thing that let him know she wasn't dead was the rise and fall of her chest. Tony was doing his best to stay calm, cool, and collected for Violet's sake, but he was ready to fall apart. He had never seen anything like this before; even the sight of a hole in his chest hooked up to a car battery in Afghanistan couldn't compare to the horror he thought he was seeing before him. He had to hold on to his logic and reasoning, for they were the only things that were going to help Violet.

Once inside the penthouse apartment that was tall enough to take up four whole floors of vertical real-estate, he rushed Violet to a plushly decorated bedroom on the second level. Eventually, he'd get her down to his workshop to hook her up to monitors, administer any drugs she needed, and get the Witchblade scanned. For the moment, however, he wanted to let her rest as comfortably as she could while he checked in with Pepper and Jarvis. Pepper and some of the apartment caretakers had prepared the place for Tony's arrival. All the beds had fresh linen on them, the furniture was fully dusted, the kitchen was wholly stocked with food, the bathrooms were filled with supplies, and Jarvis had been uploaded into the apartment's main computer. Tony took the A.I as many places as possible.

Tony turned Violet over to Pepper's care for a few minutes while he changed out of his suit into jeans and a white tank top and consulted with Jarvis; he knew he might have to get his hands dirty in attempting to remove the Witchblade from Violet, or vice versa. "Make sure to double all the security measures," he ordered Jarvis, thinking of Irons briefly. "And start a search for anything and everything to do with the Witchblade; all records you can find. I've got to know how to get it off of Violet. It's killing her; I can feel it."

"Right away, sir," Jarvis' savvy British voice replied.

Tony went back to Pepper, who was with Violet in the bedroom that was beautifully colored in mauve and burgundy. A large four poster bed took up a good portion of the room. A dressing table, couch, some cushy chairs, and dresser took up the rest. A bathroom door was at the back of the room and to the right. Pepper had removed Violet's ripped clothing, leaving her in only her undergarments. Tony found himself looking at a silky black, scantily clad Violet, wrapped up in Witchblade tentacles. If the situation weren't so dire, he would have taken time to enjoy the view, for it was an alluring and seductive sight. The pure male in him did pause to take it in for a moment. Then he willed himself back into action.

"Is everything in the shop prep'd and ready?" he asked.

"Yes, Mr. Stark," Pepper answered, trying to be professional in a situation that was anything but normal. "Except the EMP bomb you wanted; that's only in the Malibu house's inventory."

"Any change?" he asked next, indicating Violet with a point of his chin.

"Not really," she replied. "She keeps trying to fight against it, and once in a while you think she might wake up. I think she's dreaming. See the way her eyes are moving under her lids? It almost looks like REM sleep." Tony had to agree with Pepper's assessment as he studied Violet. Hooking her up to a brain wave monitor would tell him for sure.

Just then the phone set aside for the doorman started to ring. Tony looked at Pepper, who looked back at Tony perplexed. "Who the hell could that be?" Tony demanded.

"Director Nick Fury," Jarvis and Pepper announced at the same time. It had suddenly dawned on Pepper that Agent Coulson had called earlier that morning saying that Fury had wanted to speak to Tony. She had put him off as usual, and apparently he had tracked them down here in New York.

"What!?" Tony exclaimed. "Why is he here?"

Pepper quickly told him about the earlier phone call from Agent Coulson and her theory, while Jarvis proceeded to answer the phone. "Great, just great. I don't need this right now," Tony crabbed.

"Maybe they can help," Pepper offered hopefully. "You did say they had a file on Violet. Maybe they know more than we think."

"Go, let them in, and stall them for a few minutes," Tony said. "I don't want them to see Violet like this. I'm gonna try move her down to the shop, and get her situated so I can monitor was going on with her. I'll come back up and talk to Fury shortly." He really didn't want to leave Violet's side, and he was anxious to get some kind of analysis going.

Pepper ran to greet Director Fury and his agents, although the deep frown and cross look she gave Tony let him know how unhappy she was about doing it. Tony turned his attention back to Violet. She was thrashing on the bed now, pulling at the Witchblade's tentacles, having little or no effect on them. At that moment her eyes flew open and found his. "Help me, Tony! Please, get it off! It's killing me!" she sobbed.

The Witchblade seemed to grow and extend its tentacled-self to cover her mouth, cutting off her plea, and she seemed to lose consciousness again. Then the Witchblade literally attached itself to the bed, spreading its vines into to smaller branches, and stabbed roughly through the mattress and springs with sharp, pointed ends. Now Violet was pinned to the bed almost from head to foot, with no hope of Tony getting her down to his workshop. It wasn't near what his workshop in Malibu was, but it still was loaded with gadgets and technology that he could use to combat whatever the Witchblade really was.

That was it; screw being scientific and cautious about removing the Witchblade. Tony decided to resort to old-fashioned brute force. He didn't miss that fact that Violet hadn't cried out for Stark, but Tony. It pricked him to his core that in her hour of need, she called for him by his first name. She was starting to trust him; that warmed his heart and made him all the more determined to help her. The Witchblade was not going to get away with this, not as long as he was around. He didn't know what its problem was, but it was not going to hurt his Violet.

A laser cutter was the first thing that popped into his mind. The tentacles looked almost organic in nature, not metallic. The hot beam of energy should cut right through them, but then Tony had seen the Witchblade in its armor form, and it had repelled bullets and the flame from a flamethrower. Maybe it was both organic and metallic, some kind of super alloy. He had to do something, and trying to cut through the damn thing seemed like the best solution at the moment. If that failed, he'd find a bigger and better weapon; that's what he was good at doing. If he had really puzzled out the problem, he might have concluded that smaller might work better in this situation, but he wasn't about to take the time to do that.

With Jarvis' help, it took Tony only moments to locate a small, portable laser unit he used for cutting through heavy metals that need tiny, miniscule cuts. He also grabbed a portable heart monitor, so he could tell if anything he did to the Witchblade affected Violet adversely. He ran back up to the second level as fast as he could manage with the equipment he was carrying. He quickly attached the electrodes of the heart monitor to her chest and turned on the machine; there wasn't much of Violet's skin to work with, as it was mostly covered in Witchblade material. A steady, but elevated heartbeat beeped and flashed on the screen.

Then with the laser cutter in hand and satisfied by her heart's rhythm, he fired it up and programmed the temperature and the diameter of the beam. Just as he was about to slice into the ancient weapon, it decided to defend itself. The Witchblade suddenly grew another set of vine-like branches, snaking one out with lightning speed to wind itself around his wrist.

It squeezed so hard and whipped so roughly that he had to drop his weapon. The tentacle didn't stop there, either. It continued to wrap down his entire arm, and then forcefully yanked him over to the unoccupied space on the bed. He tried to sit up and fight it off, but it was no use as yet another tentacled branch fastened itself to his left side and literally attached him to the bed too. The two of them were lying supine side by side on the bed, totally enmeshed in the Witchblade's web.

"Ah, shit," Tony cursed. "This is not good." The more he fought it, the tighter the Witchblade constricted and held him more firmly to the bed. He felt like he was on fire; he was burning up suddenly. He felt the Witchblade rip through his clothing to get at his skin. He did all he could not to scream at the top of his lungs as it pierced through. He swore again as it searched out key clusters of his nervous system. Then his vision began to get hazy, and he felt himself start to drift away.

"God in Heaven!" came the startled cry of Agent Coulson as he, his team, and Director Fury burst into the room.

"Oh no, it's got Tony now too!" Pepper declared in disbelief coming in behind them.

Only the Director seemed unfazed by the scene in front of him. "It's finally happening," he said calmly in his deep voice.

"What's finally happening, sir?" Agent Coulson asked in confusion.

"The Periculum," he stated bluntly. "We've been wondering when this wielder would have to go through it. I have to say I didn't expect Stark to be in the middle of all this, but that's typical of the man, isn't it?" he added.

"Please, Director, I still don't understand any of this," Pepper said with a large amount of panic prevalent in her voice.

"Periculum is Latin for danger or risk," Fury started to explain. "It is the ultimate trial that the Witchblade puts its wielder through, allowing the two to fully bond and become one. If Miss Devonshire passes the test, the Witchblade will literally infuse itself in her DNA, making her stronger and more resilient."

"What happens if she doesn't pass, sir?" Agent Coulson then asked.

"She dies," Fury said matter-of-factly. "Although, in all I've read and studied about the Witchblade, I've never heard of it putting someone who is not a wielder through the test, let alone someone that is male. Stark's involvement here is puzzling."

That didn't make Pepper feel any better. "Yesterday, it cut Tony," she informed Fury. "It actually stuck him and made him bleed."

Fury's brows wrinkled in consternation. "That's unusual too. It doesn't like men; it has no interest in them, except as maybe as a resource for the wielder. Nothing about this latest wielder follows any of the Witchblade's normal patterns, which it has been following for millennia."

"What can we do to help them, Director?" Pepper now asked, very worried. "Will Tony die too, if she doesn't pass? Do you think it will possibly test him as well?"

"I don't know, Miss Potts; I just don't know," Fury said honestly. "And there is nothing we can do but wait it out. The Witchblade will not allow any interference."

Agent Coulson spoke up again. "How long is it supposed to take, sir?"

"It all depends on the wielder," Fury answered. "It could be only a few hours, or it could be days. In this case, we may have more than one participant. "

"Days?" Pepper said in horror.

"Days," was all Fury said in reply.

* * *

At first, Tony didn't know where he was. He was standing in the shadow of several large stone pillars. He looked himself over and saw no Witchblade tentacles restraining him, biting into his flesh. He was, however, dressed in all white; white slacks, white, long-sleeved, button-down shirt, and even white dress shoes. That was weird; he didn't normally dress this way. When had he changed his clothes? Was he dead? What was going on? Where was Violet?

As if in answer to this last question, he saw her as he looked back up. It was like she was across a football field from him, distance wise, but he could see her clearly, as if she were right in front of him. She was lying in a pool or tub that was recessed into the floor full of milky white water that came up to her neck. She appeared to be asleep. The chamber the pool was in was made of stone and hieroglyphics covered the four stone pillars that were supporting the ceiling. On the floor and walls, beautiful and detailed mosaics were painted and carved. The floor itself looked tiled.

Suddenly, a door located in the back of the room opened, admitting three women. The main one was dressed in silky, golden robes, and she had shoulder-length, black plated hair. Her eye make-up was striking, dramatic, and dark. Her skin was a very dark bronze color. The two accompanying women must have been attendants to her, Tony decided. The main woman was striking and very, very sexy. She had an aura of raw power about her that Tony couldn't help but feel and admire.

Violet stirred, and then awakened, pulling his full attention back to her. Tony wanted to go to her, be by her side, or be in the pool with her, but he couldn't move. It was as if he was glued to the ground, or rooted to the spot. _What the hell?_ he thought in extreme frustration. Violet was right in front of him, tantalizingly so. Why couldn't he get to her? _Why can't I move? _he wondered.

_Because you are an observer only, Tony Stark, _a soft and seductive feminine voice informed him. _You may watch and learn, but you cannot participate._

"Who are you? Where are you? Where am I?" Tony demanded of the strange and haunting voice.

_Why I am the essence of the Witchblade, my dear Tony, _the voice enlightened him.

Complete disbelief flooded throughout Tony's mind and body. "Why are you doing this? Why are you attacking Violet?" he asked very angrily.

_She must be tested, Tony, _it said as if it were an obvious fact. _Until now it has not been necessary, but Violet's defiance lately has now made it necessary. It is something no wielder can escape. She has to prove herself worthy of being a wielder; they all have. The real intent of her heart must be revealed._

Tony then asked the question he most feared the answer to. "What happens if she fails your test?"

_She will die, _the Witchblade's melodic voice was blunt.

"I won't let you kill her!" Tony vowed, enraged.

The Witchblade's voice seemed to chuckle. _That is very honorable and brave of you to say, Iron Prince, but it is out of your hands. I'm afraid there is nothing you can do to stop it now that it has been set into motion. Violet is already dying as we speak; if she survives, that is up to her._

"No!" Tony cried, again trying to surge forward toward Violet. When it was painfully apparent he wasn't going anywhere, he asked, "Why am I here? Why are you letting me watch?"

_Because, soon it will be your turn, _the Witchblade said smoothly, _and I want you to be prepared. _With that said, Tony literally felt the Witchblade's living essence fade away and leave him all alone.

"But wait! I'm not female, not a woman! I can't be a wielder! Why test me?!" he shouted. He received no answer; only silence greeted his outburst.

The clapping of someone's hands, very sharply and very precisely, brought his attention back to Violet and the familiar, yet strange-looking woman. She had signaled her attendants to help Violet out of the bath - Tony decided that was what it was - and they placed a silky black robe around Violet as they dried her off and as she stepped out of the tub. For a moment, Tony saw a flash of Violet's wonderfully feminine body, only to see it disappear under the robe. He felt himself lick his lips in appreciation. He then watched them pull Violet's dark and thick hair up into a loose twist and fasten it in place with some kind of clip.

Violet now stood before the spellbinding and commanding woman. "Where am I? What is happening to me?" Tony heard Violet ask her. She sounded so lost; he desperately wanted to go to her, but again he was stuck where he stood.

"Use you sense and knowledge," the woman said in an arresting voice. "You tell me who I am."

Tony watched Violet study the woman intently, and as her gaze took in the chamber and its decoration around her. He heard her gasp as she recognized the famous woman who stood before her. "But you can't be!" she whispered her exclamation. "You can't tell me that you're really Cleopatra?"

The woman, Queen Cleopatra of Egypt, smile warmly at Violet. "I have been and always shall be," she told Violet. "I'm here to begin your test, Violet Devonshire. Do not take this lightly, for in your answers hangs your very life."

"Test?" Violet asked with a gulp. "What test?" Hadn't the Witchblade put her through enough already?

"It is called the Periculum, in Latin, and the _Digitabulum Magae _needs to know what is truly in your heart," Cleopatra said matter-of-factly. "We begin now," she added with a dramatic flare in her voice.

Violet's surroundings changed. She and Cleopatra now stood on one of the Sphinx's paws and looked out towards the Mediterranean Sea. It looked like hundreds of ships were sailing toward Egypt. "Octavian comes to wrest my kingdom from me," Cleopatra explained the scene. "Uniting Rome and Egypt was my task; helping to stabilize the great Roman Empire. The goal was achieved, just not in the way I had originally envisioned."

"Why are you showing me this?" Tony, still watching everything play out, heard Violet query.

"No more questions, Violet Devonshire," Cleopatra was brusque with her. "It is now your turn to answer my questions. How do you feel about _Digitabulum Magae_?"

Violet didn't know how to answer that question. She wasn't sure what she felt; it had brought her nothing but pain and loss, but it had also allowed her to do so much good, help so many people. It had helped her do so many things she could never have done on her own. It was there for her, when no one else was. "Confused," Violet finally said.

"An acceptable answer," Cleopatra replied with another warm smile. "What is your task, Violet Devonshire? What plagues your modern world? Some of the wielders had famine, freeing the oppressed, leading revolution, or fighting for their homeland, as their tasks. What is your problem to solve?"

Again Violet didn't even know where to begin. "Do I just have to pick one?" Violet stopped her speaking as Cleopatra gave her a hard glare. _No questions, right, just answers, _Violet remembered now. _And my life depends on my answers, just great._ "There are too many to name just one. There is war, famine, disease, genocide, overwhelming greed, horrible injustice, and the suffering of many innocents," Violet found herself saying.

"You are naming only effects, what is the cause?" Cleopatra demanded. "Name it!"

"I can't," Violet said, feeling small and helpless. "The whole world's a mess. Men have lost their natural affection for one another. The entire globe is a battlefield. People have gone insane." Violet had a hard time putting her thoughts and feelings into words.

"Well named, Violet, well named," Cleopatra told her. "Insane comes from the Latin root for unclean. Your task is to purify the hearts of men. This task was laid at the feet of Sara Pezzini, but she could not complete it, so now if falls to you."

Violet felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. How in the hell was she suppose to do that; supernatural weapon or no? It was too big a task for one person. "I can't possible do that alone," Violet blurted out. "If Sara couldn't, how can I fair any better? I think the Witchblade made a mistake when it chose me. I'm nobody; I'm a freakin' thief, for heaven's sake. I'm not worthy to be a wielder. I'm not a queen like you, and I don't come from a warrior race, like some of the other wielders. I don't really want the responsibility. I'm not a hero. I'm not brave or strong; I'm a coward and a weakling."

"And that is precisely why the Witchblade chose you, Violet," Cleopatra said as she reached out and wiped away the tears flowing down Violet's face. "You're meek and humble; teachable. What were your true motivations for being a thief?" she then asked.

"It was an absolute adrenaline rush," Violet said not meeting the other woman's eyes. "An expensive thrill ride to take something that didn't belong to you right out from under its owner's nose."

Cleopatra grabbed Violet's chin and made her look her in the eye, "That became a secondary motivation after you started your professional career. What did you and your brothers really do it for? Where did all the money go that you received from either your clients or reselling the items you stole?"

Tony saw Violet visibly started at Cleopatra's new question. He was so intrigued by the entire situation. He was seeing a living piece of history; one of the most famous and intelligent women in the world was right in front of him, talking to Violet. And what he was learning about his lady thief was fascinating. He was enraptured by what he was witnessing.

"We…we…we gave it to children in the impoverished neighborhoods around us to help them get a better education," Violet stammered her confession. "There were so many gifted young people we knew, but they had no way to nurture their talents. Victor worked with them as part of a government outreach program, but the program didn't really do anything to improve the children's lives. The money was squandered on other priorities or ended up in some bureaucrat's pocket. We tried to help those children go to special private schools where the tuition was far above what their blue-collar parents could afford. We stole to provide them with the necessary funds to put their children in schools that would help them reach their full potentials. I know it was the wrong way to do the right thing, but it was what we were good at. We saw it as a way to better the world." Violet couldn't believe how the words just tumbled out of her mouth. She had never told this to anyone, not even her parents or her little sister. She and her brothers had kept it in a vow of secrecy. "How did you know?" Violet then asked Cleopatra.

"Because the Witchblade knew it," the Egyptian queen replied. "That is why it chose you. It saw in you _your_ potential to do good and _your _desire to do so in any way you could. You were the perfect choice for the Witchblade, Violet. You have been the only wielder to fully embrace it, and not have a hard time coming to terms with the shift in perspective it gives its wielder. You are exactly what the Witchblade has been searching for through out the millennias. You know the Witchblade comes forth in times of great need; when dark forces rise to maximum tolerance levels. What you may not know is that the converse is also true."

Violet took over for Cleopatra for a moment. "You mean that when the Witchblade comes forth dark forces tend to increase to a maximum level?" She was stunned. "Is the Witchblade good or evil?" she finally asked, for she didn't know anymore.

"Not in the sense that you perceive them," Cleopatra told her cryptically. "The Witchblade is neither; it strives for balance. How it behaves or the form it takes, depends much upon she who wields it." Then she abruptly changed topics. "You are doing well, fair Violet. I will turn you over to a sister wielder for the next part of your test." And with that the world seemed to spin, and Violet found herself on another battlefield.

Roman swords clashed against Celtic axes. Blue-faced Iceni tribesmen faced off against the helmeted Roman legions. A fierce and wild red-headed woman stepped from the fray and stalked toward Violet, still in her black robe. The other woman was dressed in a multi-colored tunic, a large golden torc necklace, and a thick cloak fastened on with a golden brooch. "Welcome to the land of Britannia, my sister. We have much to discuss." Tony was still trying to get his bearings so he could pay attention to this new setting.

Violet merely followed the woman warrior to a tent not far from the battlefield. Once inside, the red head turn to her, offering a cup of water. Violet took it gratefully, drinking deeply. "You're Boudicca, leader of the Iceni Celts aren't you?" she asked after her thirst was quenched.

"I am and always will be," Boudicca answered her very similar to how Cleopatra had. "I'll be brief, for I must get back to the battle outside."

"Don't you know that you won't win this battle," Violet couldn't help but say. "This is the Battle of Watling Street, where almost eighty thousand Britons fall, and the Romans are victorious." Violet didn't know how she knew that; she just did.

"I still have to try, do I not?" was Boudicca's response.

This took Violet aback; she was willingly fighting a losing battle? "Why?" she queried.

"Why not?" Boudicca questioned back. "Is not the idea of freedom and the love of my people reason enough?"

Violet was stunned by the woman's simple answers. "How can you go on after all that's happened to you? Your husband was killed, you were flogged, your daughters raped, and all your land and wealth was taken from you. Where did you find the strength to still fight?"

"I couldn't stand by and let those Roman dogs do the same thing to family after family of my kinsmen," Boudicca explained. "Someone had to stand up for them. Someone had to fight for them. Why not me? When _Lan an Galig _came along and offered to help me avenge my people and bring justice back into our world, I accepted. Through it, I found my strength, my courage, my purpose. It guided me and showed me the way. Not everything worked out like I wanted it to, but the Roman Empire never forgot the sting I gave it, and all of Britannia knew that it was only a matter of time before we would unite and throw off Roman rule once and for all. I symbolized that it could be done, even though, I myself, did not actually do it."

Tony was totally mesmerized by everything he saw and heard. Another bold and beautiful woman from the past was talking to Violet, teaching her as well as testing her. "Where do you find your strength, Violet Devonshire?" Boudicca suddenly asked.

"In revenge mostly," Violet admitted. "I've lost everything too; my brothers, my parents, my home, my peace of mind. At first I saw the Witchblade as a tool to exact my revenge, but I'm discovering that it is so much more than that. It has given me the ability to really make a difference, to really help those in need. I just wish the price wasn't so high."

"Do you trust _Lan an Galig, _the Witchblade?" the warrior woman's glare was hard upon Violet now.

"I thought I did," Violet said. "I want to, but I'm scared." There, she had told the truth.

"And what are you scared of, my dear sister?" Boudicca asked in a gentler tone.

"Being hurt again. Trusting someone only to be betrayed once more," Violet said as she began to weep. "I feel like I'm being tossed back and forth. I have no place to land. I fear losing those I care about, not being able to save them. It is easy to help strangers, but I fail the ones I love."

Boudicca walked to Violet and embraced her, which Tony so desperately wanted to do, but couldn't. He wanted to shout at Violet that she could trust him; that he would never betray her; that he wouldn't die on her. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to hear or see him. Tony watched as Violet sobbed in Boudicca's arms.

"You are not responsible for your brothers' or your parents' deaths," Boudicca told Violet sternly. "You were not supposed to save them. Their blood is on hands of the evil man that took their lives. He will have to pay for _all_ his terrible crimes, and their blood will cry from the ground to condemn him. Sometimes the innocent are sacrificed so that justice can be fully brought to bear against that which is evil. Men are free to choose what they will do and what they will not do, but their actions do not go without consequence. You family is proud of you, Violet. And in time, you will see them again. They are never far from you. You must have faith, Violet. The Witchblade can pierce the veil of the senses, if you are willing to learn how and are willing to serve it."

Violet finally looked Boudicca in the eye. "But I'm not a hero," she whispered.

"But you're learning how to become one, and there will others provided along the way to help you," the red-headed woman said gently. "All you need to do is be willing, and then act."

"What happens if I get them killed too?" Violet was still struggling.

"Loss comes to us all, dear Violet," Boudicca said with a small smile. "Death finds each and everyone one of us eventually. What is important is what we do with the time we have. Do we dare to love and live life to the fullest, or do we hide away and never know the warmth of another's touch? The choice is yours, Violet. I pray you choose wisely and open your heart."

Then Boudicca was gone, and so was her tent. The world spun again, and Violet found herself in a spartan New York City apartment. A woman with long, brown hair was going through a box on her kitchen table. She looked up as she heard Violet approach her. "I remember when it was me in your position," she said with a deep, raspy voice. "I thought I was going to come apart at the seams."

"Tell me about it," Violet said as she sat opposite the woman at the kitchen table. "You're Sara Pezzini aren't you?"

"Yep," was Sara's short reply. Her attitude was much more modern than the other wielders Violet had dealt with.

"How am I doing?" Violet wanted to know, feeling like she could less formal with Sara. "Am I answering the questions correctly?"

"That depends," Sara said simply. "Are you answering them truthfully?"

Violet now realized that the Witchblade wasn't concerned with right or wrong answers, only true ones. "Yes, I am," Violet said with a little bit of confidence, knowing that she had. "I've answered them the only way I know how, from my heart."

"Then you have your answer," Sara said with a smile, making her look young and full of life. "_You _are the Witchblade wielder now, Violet. You can do what I couldn't. You aren't constrained by the same flaws that the original bloodline had. We all have had a hard time accepting the strangeness of the world the Witchblade showed us. You haven't had any problems with that, at all. Your confusion tolerance is the highest the Witchblade has ever encountered. It is pleased with you, Violet.

"But now you're starting to backslide; to fall into the same pattern all of us have that have wielded it; doubting, fearing. Maybe it's just human nature that leads us to that, but it must be overcome. _You _must overcome it and succeed where we've failed. The Witchblade has also finally realized a valuable lesson itself," Sara now confessed to Violet. "I failed because I tried to accomplish my task all alone; we all did. The Witchblade has tried to do it through one person, one battle at a time. That will not work this time. You need to join with others with unique abilities and together you will succeed, if you stay on course and don't stray from your path."

Violet was beginning to see what she had to do, if she were to have peace of mind. "I think I understand what you're saying," Violet said, taking a deep breathe. "And teaming up with Stark is supposed to be the first step on that path, right?"

"Possibly," Sara told her. "The Witchblade has looked into his heart and knows he is not perfect, but he has the desire to do the right thing. His change of heart is real and genuine. Together you could balance each other; help each other stay on track. Everything in the universe comes in opposites, pairings in its strive for balance: male and female, light and dark, pleasure and pain, sickness and health, good and evil, joy and sorrow, success and failure, and so on. You and Stark could be one of those pairs, if you _chose_ to be; opposite sides of the same coin.

"You had to face the Witchblade's ultimate trial because it feared you would turn against it and join Irons. It now knows that you only did it because you were trying to spare others his wrath, not because he had won you over. Don't give into him, Violet. You are stronger than he is, even if you don't think so now, you are," Sara said the last bit strongly.

"I'm sorry about that," Violet said sincerely. "I only agreed to let him have me to stop him from murdering Tony. I didn't want him to kill someone else I cared about."

These last few statements from Violet rocked through Tony. Violet had been about to give herself over to Irons to try and protect him? When had that taken place? How had he missed something that earth-shattering? No wonder the Witchblade had freaked out. And Violet cared about him? That made Tony grin from ear to ear. This was all too stunning for words; Tony just couldn't believe it.

Sara took one of Violet's hands from across the table. "You know he would have killed Tony even if you had come to him. It's his nature to do so. You must fight him and defeat him. He is the greatest threat to the Witchblade and to humanity. If he truly got his hands on it again - let's just say it wouldn't be a good thing."

"Can he be defeated?" Violet then asked Sara.

"Yes, but not alone," Sara warned. "You must have help."

"All right," Violet said, finally feeling good about things, at last accepting her destiny. "What happens now?"

"I think you've earned the right to get to know Tony Stark a little more intimately," Sara said with a tease in her voice.

Violet couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Do we have to go there?"

Sara laughed, a rich and hearty sound. "That's not what I meant, but you shouldn't count that out of the cards. I think it's time that you witnessed the origin of Iron Man and the life changing event Tony Stark experienced."

"You mean his ordeal in Afghanistan?" Violet was astounded. She would get to see why he became Iron Man? That blew her mind.

"Yes, ma'am," Sara replied with a nod of her head. "You need to see for yourself why you really can trust him."

"Can I ask one question first?" Violet then inquired very tentatively.

Sara smiled warmly at her again. "I don't see why not," was her answer, "but I can't guarantee an answer."

Violet took a deep breath and blew it completely out before she asked, "What is the Witchblade?"

"That, Violet, my dear, you will have to discover for yourself," Sara said cryptically. "You will learn its true origin in due time."

Tony thought he was going to die; this was not happening. He had been thrilled to learn that Violet had passed this trial by fire; making her face herself. He had been ecstatic to hear that Violet did indeed care about him, had called him Tony again, and that the Witchblade wanted Violet to be part of the Avenger Initiative; that could be fun on so many levels. It was also nice to know that the Witchblade believed in him and what he wanted to do. Sometimes it was just comforting to know someone or something else had faith in you. But he didn't want Violet to see what had happened to him in Afghanistan. He hadn't been able to share that experience with anyone; not Rhodey and not even Pepper. It was too painful and too personal. He didn't think anybody would really understand what went through. It was his trial by fire; not Violet's.

_You are as bad as she is; you know that, Stark?_ the Witchblade's seductive voice was back. _You two are each others Yin and Yang. You shared her grief and pain. Now let her share yours. This is your test now._

TBC

**You gotta let me know what you think!! Good, bad, ugly, brilliant, or what????? If you want to know what's gonna happen to Tony, reviews will help usher me along. :)**


	11. Chapter 11: A Change of Heart

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own any of the rights to anything Iron Man, that right goes to Marvel Studios/Comics. I don't own any of the rights to anything dealing with the Witchblade that right goes to Top Cow Productions. The only thing I claim as mine is any original characters I created and the plot of this particular story. No copy right infringement is meant. This is for fun and not for money.**

**Rated T for language, violence, and some heavy romance.**

**A/N: Here is Tony's trial by fire. This chapter is kind of a long one because the origin of Iron Man is not an easy event to describe in a simple way. Plus, I had to set things up and put a little of Pepper, Fury, and others' reactions to what is going on into the chapter. I got the "Iron Man" triathlon idea from watching an old **_**Magnum P.I. **_**episode where Magnum has to compete in one such event in Hawaii. I tried to follow the scenes from the **_**Iron Man**_** movie the best I could, and I even used some dialogue straight out of the movie. (Credit goes to the wonderful screenplay writers: Mark Fergus, Hawk Otsby, Art Marcum, and Matt Holloway; all property of Paramount Pictures and Marvel Studios) Alas, their words are sadly not mine, but they were brilliant, and so I had to use them in my humble story. I think it lends to the chapter being more relatable by using the movie dialogue. Violet's reactions to Tony's experience in Afghanistan are littered throughout the chapter. At the end, Tony and Violet finally connect in the aftermath of their experiences. (Don't worry Morgomir; it is close to happening, but not quite.) Hope you enjoy your read!!**

**An enormous and gigantic thanks to AblatedCrayon for the extensive beta read of this chapter. This chapter had to go through many revisions until it worked out right. AblatedCrayon's insight and wisdom was sorely needed and extremely helpful. Thanks to RID3RLVR (Ari) for pointing out problem spots too.**

**- Ladyhawke Legend**

* * *

**Chapter 11**

**A Change of Heart**

Tony Stark wanted to be anywhere but where he was. He struggled, strained, and fought with ferocious energy against what the Witchblade wanted to do; make him relive the most god-awful experience in his entire life. No matter how hard he waged his battle in opposition to the Witchblade to stop it from burrowing into his mind and pulling out the horrifying memory of his time as a terrorist group's hostage, he seemed to be losing. He felt like he had gone through a triathlon; having swam five miles, run twenty-six, and then biked one hundred. Ironically enough, that type of athletic event had been given the nickname, the "Iron Man", by many towns and cities that held them. Tony's body was completely drained of strength, every nerve fiber was on fire, and he thought he was going to puke his guts out.

_Your strength of will is impressive, for a man, _the Witchblade's alluring voice returned to taunt him; at least that was what it seemed to be doing to Tony. _That is a good sign._

"Please stop this," Tony begged raggedly. "Please! I can't go through it again. I can't relive it. Why are you doing this to me? Don't you understand the concept of mercy!?"

_You are not being punished, my dear Tony Stark, _the Witchblade's voice had a more soothing tone to it now. _You are being given a chance to remember all the lessons you learned from the experience. It changed your life, did it not? Set you on a different, more responsible path? It is for your own good that this is happening to you. _

Tony was starting to get ticked at the ancient weapon's words. "For my own good!" he shouted. "I went through hell and was damn lucky that I came out of it alive. I learned the lessons the first time around. I don't need to be taught them again!"

_Ah, but you do, Stark, you do, _the Witchblade said softly, but it was full of a quiet power. _It is part of human nature to grow prideful and self-righteous, even when a person is trying to do the right thing. You are the perfect example. You couldn't resist revealing your new identity to the world, against all counsel not to. _

The supernatural gauntlet had Tony there; he _was_ letting his new found hero status go to his head, just a little. He couldn't help himself in blurting out during the press conference he'd held at the main complex of Stark Industries about the incident with Obadiah that he was the gallant Iron Man. He liked the power the suit gave him, and he'd always liked to be in the spotlight, liked the attention; although, now he was in the spotlight for positive exploits and not silly antics. Maybe the Witchblade had a point.

_Violet needs to know she can, indeed, trust you. She needs to stop judging you because of your past reputation. Seeing what actually happened to you while you were captured by those evil men, she will learn who you really are. Violet needs your strength, your support, and your wisdom. We both need you, Iron Prince,_ the Witchblade admitted.

Tony ceased his fight against the Witchblade as he took in what it was saying to him. Instantly, his pain and fatigue lessened, which surprised him. He was even more surprised to think that something as powerful as the Witchblade needed someone like _him_. It thrilled him to know that Violet really _did_ need him too. No one had ever had to depend on him before; ah, hell, he'd never been responsible or reliable enough for someone to depend upon him. Here he was being given a chance to be there for someone, to prove he was a different man, a better man.

"Why do you need me?" he finally asked the Witchblade, flabbergasted.

The Witchblade sounded almost kind when it answered with, _You are the first one to be a perfect match with us._

"A 'perfect match'?" Tony responded in confusion. What did _that _mean?

_I cannot reveal all of your destiny to you at this time, _the Witchblade almost sounded regretful or saddened by this, _without influencing your natural choices, but I will tell you that you have great potential and a powerful future ahead of you, Stark; power for good._

Tony wasn't sure he liked the Witchblade's cryptic response. He liked the idea that he might have great things in store for him, or that he would be able to do great things, but at what price? How much control did the Witchblade want to place him under, and why? Would he have to deal with the Witchblade indomitable will more often in the future, if he passed this stupid test? Tony didn't like the idea of being controlled by anyone or anything. But the Witchblade had said "a perfect match with us", so did that mean he and Violet were a "perfect match" as well? That was a much more pleasant idea.

"Violet really needs to see what I went through?" he asked tentatively.

_Yes, she does, _the Witchblade told him softly, seductively. _If you want her in your life, then yes._

"All right, all right. Fine. Show her, but just get it over with quickly," Tony said making his decision. He couldn't believe he was giving in and agreeing to this madness, but he would, for Violet. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, either.

_You have made a wise choice, Tony Stark; a very wise choice. Just relax and let it happen, _the Witchblade's tone had become very hypnotic now. _And take comfort in the fact that you've just passed the first stage of your test._

* * *

Pepper Potts was doing everything she could to not totally freak out. Agent Coulson's steady presence was a real source of comfort and strength. He hadn't left her alone for more than a few minutes throughout the ordeal Tony and Violet were going through. The nightmarish situation had been going on for almost twenty-four hours. Coulson, Pepper, Nick Fury, and Happy Hogan were all taking shifts watching over the couple on the bed, with Coulson always at Pepper's side.

During one of Pepper's watches, the Witchblade had contorted Violet's body, forcing it into a fetal-like position; over onto her left side, legs tucked up so her knees were almost touching her chin, and her hands and arms brought together to rest up by her head. The move was so sudden and so surreal-looking that it had scared the crap out of Pepper. Agent Coulson had had to grab her and hold her to him until she got control of herself again. This repositioning of Violet happened again a few hours later, when Happy was keeping watch; although Pepper popped her head in about every five minutes to check on her boss. Violet was abruptly pulled out with her limbs straight and to her sides. Happy about peed his pants when it happened. Tony, on the other had, remained blissfully still, breathing a steady, peaceful rhythm.

When Fury came back to the penthouse hours and hours later to take his turn at watching, he was reliving Pepper. He noticed that she had been crying; the skin around her eyes was all puffy, her eyes themselves were bloodshot, and her voice was quite nasally. The S.H.I.E.L.D. director understandingly said nothing to her about it. He knew she was very worried about her boss and friend, for Fury was too. To lose Stark now, on the brink of forming the Avenger Force, would be disastrous.

"Any changes?" he asked, his deep voice laced with concern.

"Not really," Pepper sighed wearily. "A few more weird repositionings, but nothing else."

"But Stark hasn't moved?" he queried next.

"Nope," Pepper answered with a stifled yawn.

"Go and get some rest, Miss Potts," he gently ordered her. "I'll take over for a while."

Pepper, even though she was dead tired, wanted to argue with him. "I won't sleep anyway," she stated plainly.

"There's not one thing you can do right now," Fury told her sternly. "Go lay down, before you fall down. I'll make sure you're alerted to any developments, if they happen. You have my word."

Agent Coulson subtly appeared by her side, ready to escort her to bed. Pepper gave Fury a frustrated look, but allowed Coulson to lead her away, very reluctantly. She just wanted to be there for Tony. Part of Pepper was afraid that Violet was going to take her status in Tony's life away from her. Pepper knew she was all Tony really had in the way of family, and had been for a very long time, but now here was Violet. Whatever was going on, it was something that Violet and Tony were sharing, and that made Pepper downright jealous. Pepper knew it was silly, and that it was good that Tony could have someone else there for him, but it still ate at her heart.

Nick Fury sat down in a big, comfy, tan chair that had been dragged over to the side of the bed. He felt comfortable knowing that about twenty agents were stationed throughout the apartment and around the building's parameter. Fury knew that Jarvis was also on full alert, in case of any problems.

He shook his head at the scene in front of him. Even though he had dealt with the truly extraordinary to the extremely freakish and everything in between, this had to be one of the top strangest things he had ever seen. It was quite something to actually witness a Periculum, as opposed to just reading about one in a file. He wondered what it was really like. He would make sure that if Stark and Devonshire lived through it, they would give him a thorough debriefing concerning the experience.

Suddenly, Tony moaned low in his throat, and the Witchblade tentacles contorted his body much like they had Violet's. They forced him into a fetal position, on his right side, away from Violet, drawing his legs up and his arms in. Fury was left to gawk at Stark's predicament. The weapons genius looked like something out of a B horror movie or something out of a low-budget science fiction film. The Witchblade tentacles were wrapped all up and down Stark's lean body. His clothes were pretty well-shredded around him. His mouth and eyes were covered by the Witchblade too.

Fury noted that the Witchblade had, indeed, inserted itself through Tony's skin in various places, but the wounds did not bleed. The Witchblade was delving deep into Stark's genetic makeup and mind it seemed. Was it going to try and bond with Stark too? The agency director couldn't believe any of it. He finally settled back down into his seat by the bed. He thought of informing Pepper that Tony was now most likely being tested, but he was hesitant to disturb her much needed rest.

As suddenly as it had contorted Tony, the Witchblade appeared to release its hold on Violet. Tentacles withdrew and freed most of her right side, except part of her arm, which still was wrapped in a tentacle coming out of Witchblade on her wrist. Her left side was still fixed in its tight grip. It gently eased her closer to Tony, spooning her up behind him, allowing her to wrap her right arm around his waist. Then it held Violet there, cuddled up to Tony.

Fury blinked in disbelief. Did this mean Violet had passed the Periculum? He watched as her skin, which had grown deathly pale, now had resumed a rosier glow. Was the Witchblade letting her comfort Stark during his test? That seemed very odd to the director. Violet hadn't gotten that kind of treatment. What the hell was going on? What was this supernatural entity doing? Fury guessed he'd just have to wait and see, for no answers were forth coming from either person on the bed or from the Witchblade itself.

* * *

_Ah, come on, _Tony protested in his mind, _don't show her this part._

The Witchblade's starting place with his memory was not of the convoy ambush by the terrorists in Afghanistan, which was where Tony thought it would begin. No, it had to let Violet see his missing the award's presentation in Vegas, hurting Rhodey's feelings, and his tryst in bed with Christine Everhart of _Vanity Fair_ magazine. These scenes were just going to support Violet's already shaky opinion of him. They were going to reinforce her preconceived ideas about his arrogant, self-centered, egotistical, and playboy reputation; albeit, it was a reputation he had rightly earned.

Tony was kind of watching and reexperiencing the events at the same time. It was a bizarre sensation, almost like an out-of-body experience. He could see Violet standing off in the background, observing him like he had her. He knew she was there, but neither of them were truly aware of each other in the here and now. Tony felt so humiliated to have Violet see him like this. She would hate him for sure now, as all her worst thoughts about him were paraded right in front of her.

Violet didn't know what to do; this certainly wasn't what she had been expecting to see. Tony Stark was an absolute putz. Everything she had heard, read, and seen about him was true. She watched as he did a verbal dance with a reporter woman ─ he really knew how to charm her ─ and then as he did another kind of dance with her. Violet really didn't want to view the scene, but it was like driving past an accident on the freeway; she couldn't not watch either. The woman appeared to really enjoy herself and so did Tony, but in the morning, Pepper escorted the woman out like she was taking out the trash. Tony never spoke to her or dealt with her. Violet felt a little sick.

Then Tony bantered with Pepper and kept Lt. Colonel James Rhodes of the United States Air Force waiting for three hours at the airport for him. On the plane he gave Rhodes a bad time about not having enough fun, got drunk, and had the flight attendants pole-dancing. Violet had about had it. Tony Stark was a total sleazebag, and she was ready to be well-rid of him. How could the Witchblade want her to team up with the likes of him? He was just what she had always thought he was: an insufferable bastard.

Violet suddenly felt the dry and arid atmosphere of the desert come upon her. The sun beat down causing sweat to bead up on her brow and trickle down her temple. The wind was stirring up wisps of sand; it was gritty, and Violet had to shield her eyes from it. When she could focus her sight again, she saw Tony giving a weapons' demonstration to American and Afghani soldiers in what must be the desert country of Afghanistan. If Tony felt any of the discomfort of the heat, dryness, and abrasive sand, he showed no sign of; in fact, he was the star showman, presenting his latest creation with the utmost pride.

Despite herself, Violet marveled as she watched the Jericho missile as it blasted off its launcher, spectacularly split apart into multiple projectiles, and blew half of a mountain side away. _That_ came out of Tony's mind? He developed _that_? She couldn't help but admire the way he just stood there as the shockwave from the blast blew through the area where he, the military brass, and the troops were standing. He didn't flinch or anything; he looked damned tasty as he just stood there in his designer suit. Violet had to try and shake that thought away. She too had felt the crack and boom of the explosion; felt it right in her chest and gut. It had almost made her heart stop as it echoed throughout her body.

As the demonstration broke up, Tony got into a Humvee to leave the area with Rhodes going to accompany him. Tony refused to let Rhodes ride with him, saying, "I'm sorry this is the 'fun-vee'. The 'hum-drum-vee' is back there." Tony indicated its direction by looking back behind him. Obviously, Rhodes was not invited because Tony thought he was a spoilsport and wouldn't be any fun. Rhodes seemed to shake it off and told Tony he'd meet him back at the airbase. Violet could tell that Rhodes' feelings were hurt, even though he acted like nothing was wrong. This slight of Tony's towards Rhodes, his best friend, miffed Violet all the more at the thoughtless billionaire.

When Tony and the soldiers started their long, arduous journey back to base, the ride was silent with everyone looking around uncomfortably. Tony, of course, had a glass of Scotch in his hand. Finally, Tony broke the silence with a glib remark. "I feel like you're driving me to a court martial. This is crazy. What'd I do? I feel like you're going to pull over and snuff me." When he got no response to his comments, he asked, "What, you're not allowed to talk? Hey, Forrest," he said turning and speaking directly to the marine to his left.

"We can talk, sir," the young marine replied carefully.

"Oh, I see. So it's personal?" Tony shot back.

"No. You intimidate them," came a comment from the driver of the Humvee, whose voice was not the low baritone Tony had been expecting.

"Good God, you're I woman. I honestly…couldn't have called that," Tony continued to banter playfully. "I mean I'd apologize, but isn't that what we're going for here? I thought of you as a soldier first."

"I'm an airman," the female driver corrected him.

"You actually have excellent bone structure there. I'm kind of having a hard time not looking at you now," Tony said on a roll. He had his audience's full attention. "Is that weird?" He was starting to get laughs from all around now. "Come on, it's okay laugh."

The other marine in the passenger side of the front seat spoke up. "Sir, I have a question to ask?"

"Yes, please," Tony said relieved to be getting the troops to lighten up. They needed a little humor out here in the desert; something to take their minds off the difficult missions they were asked to perform for their country.

"Is it true that you went twelve for twelve with last year's _Maxim _cover models?" the older marine asked.

Tony whisked his sunglasses off to look the man in the eye. "That is an excellent question," he said with obvious mirth. "Yea and no. March and I had a scheduling conflict, but fortunately the Christmas cover was twins." He watched all the smiles he got from his clever answer. "Anything else?" Forrest, the marine sitting next to him in the back seat raise his hand. "You're kidding me with the hand up, right?"

"Is it cool if I take a picture with you?" Forrest asked when Tony nodded his head to ask.

"Yes, it is very cool," Tony told Forrest happily. Forrest smiled like a little kid at Christmas, fished around in the Velcro pockets of his uniform, and pulled out a digital camera. He handed it to the older marine up front to take the picture. Forrest scooted closer to Tony for the picture. "I better not see this on your MySpace page," Tony remarked with mock seriousness.

Forrest flashed the peace sign for the picture. "Please no gang signs," Tony continued to pretend to be stern. Forrest looked a little chagrinned and put his hand down. "No, throw it up. I'm kidding," Tony said next, which seemed to perk Forrest back up , and he flashed the peace sign once again. "Yeah, peace. I love peace. I'd be out of a job with peace," Tony teased.

Violet couldn't keep herself from laughing throughout the whole exchange, as Tony bantered with the soldiers in the "fun-vee" with him. He put them at ease and was really personable with them. He treated the marines on his level, as equals, like real people, and lightened their mood considerably. The Maxim cover girl remarks didn't get missed by Violet, however, and she didn't like them one little bit. In that department, her estimation of Tony Stark had dropped far below the gutter now.

A few seconds later, all hell broke loose. Explosions and gunfire rocked the air. Those sweet soldiers were dying as they got out of the vehicle attempting to defend their position and got cut down by enemy fire. Violet watched in utter horror as Tony ducked out of the far side of the Humvee away from the ambushers and ran for some kind of cover. A few bullets whizzed by far too close for comfort before Tony made it behind a large rock. He took out his mobile phone and started to dial for help. His fingers shook with every rapport of a weapon and every vibration of an explosive device.

Then a rocket-propelled grenade landed almost at Tony's feet. She noticed the look of complete and total shock on Tony's face when he saw that the weapon had _STARK INDUSTRIES _printed proudly on the side. He instantly could recall designing the weapon and just how dead it could make him with its yield, blast radius, and detonation time. He tried to make a run for it, but the RPG spectacularly blew up. Tony tumbled to the ground and ended up on his back. He gasped in pain and pulled at his shirt, recognizing with horror the sticky warmth of blood straining his clothes. Despite the armored vest he had on, it was obvious from the blood that soaked through his shirt and the vest above it that he had been hit with shrapnel from the RPG.

Violet wanted nothing more than to run to Tony and help him; get him to safety. The red stain on his chest continued to grow and spread. Its progression really scared Violet. As she tried to rush forward, she found that she couldn't move. Her feet seemed to be nailed to the ground. She fought to get free, but her attempts were useless. How could she just stand there and not help Tony? She may not like his behavior, but she wasn't about let him die.

_Uh-uh, Violet, _the Witchblade's voice came into her mind. _You cannot interfere in events that have already taken place. You are here to observe only._

"I can't watch this," Violet almost sobbed. "I've changed my mind. I don't want to watch Tony suffer."

_I thought you decided he was an insufferable bastard, _the Witchblade taunted Violet. _Isn't he just getting what's coming to him? His just desserts? _

"He's a pig when it comes to women, and he's irresponsible, but that doesn't mean he deserves to be blown up," Violet argued. "I don't want to watch this!" she then lamented.

_You must if you want to know that you can trust him,_ the Witchblade told her matter-of-factly.

Now Violet felt cold and realized the hot sun and dry air had been replaced with a damp, biting coolness. She had to grab her arms and rub them with her hands to try and warm herself up again. Goosebumps had broken out all over her arms and legs as she chilled. She found herself in what looked like an underground cave. She looked around and saw Tony sitting in a chair, tied up with a sackcloth bag over his head. He was surrounded by a number of black-hooded or veiled men with mean looking automatic rifles or machine guns. Some kind of flag was displayed in the background, and a man was shouting in Arabic at a video camera. At one point the sackcloth bag was removed from Tony, and he blinked as the bright light hit him full force in his eyes. Violet shuddered at the look in Tony's eyes. They were wide, crazed almost, unfocused, and very, very confused.

The bright light from the spotlight seemed to morph into the shine of a surgical light to show Tony being operated on in what appeared to be another part of the underground cave. A civilized looking man in a suit and that was slightly balding on top with gray, short hair and glasses inserted something big, round, and black into Tony's chest. _What the hell was the man doing to Tony? Did this have something to do with the circle in his chest now? How could you perform surgery in a cave in Afghanistan? _Violet thought worriedly, and her earlier ire at Tony was steadily fading.

Violet watched as Tony woke up after his long bout in surgery with an oxygen tube up one of his nostrils. He coughed, and then panic set in as he took in his surroundings and his condition. He ripped the tube out of his nose and struggled to sit up. Violet could feel Tony's burning thirst that dominated his mind and made everything else take a backseat. He reached for a cup of water set on a container not far from him, desperately wanting to quench the fire in his throat. He couldn't quite get to it, however, because some strange kind of cord or cable attached to his chest stopped him as it pulled tight, at its limit. A male voice told Tony, in English, that his movement wasn't a good idea. Tony then proceeded to totally freak out as he followed where the wire coming out his chest was hooked up to – a car battery. He frantically tore off the bandages covering his chest to reveal a large hole over his heart filled with a big, black circle embedded into his chest.

Violet moved to go to Tony again, but she stayed frustratingly put. Her reaction was just a natural, unconscious impulse to try and help Tony in his time of need. The fear and terror on his face were real. He was scared shitless, and Violet knew it. This was a complete one hundred eighty degree turn from where he was used to being. He was the great Tony Stark; rich, famous, and totally untouchable. Well, not anymore he wasn't.

The civilized man with the glasses explained how he had saved Tony's life with an electromagnet to keep the shrapnel out of his heart and bloodstream, but people with wounds like Tony's were considered "The Walking Dead", for they usually died within a week when the dangerous barbs from the explosive reached other vital organs through their bloodstream. Violet could sense Tony's overwhelming terror at the term Yinsen used to describe people in his condition. She, herself, couldn't help but picture a zombie monster creature from a late night horror movie. The car battery was powering the magnet, but it wouldn't last forever. The man said he had met Stark once at a tech conference in Bern, Switzerland, but of course Tony didn't remember him; he'd been very drunk, and it had surprise the man that he had been able to go on and give a lecture about integrated circuits, but he had with flying colors.

The large metal doors into the room where Tony and the man were being held opened with a bang and a number of men with the mean looking automatic rifles and machine guns came pouring into it. Violet heard Tony note with surprise that all the weapons these men possessed were his weapons. How had they gotten them? A short and fat Arabic man talked and gestured at Tony. The man who saved Tony's life translated. The Arabic man praised Tony as the greatest American mass murder in history. He wanted Tony to build him a Jericho missile. Tony refused; his voice sounding terribly hoarse, partly from lack of water, partly from pure fear, but he wasn't about to help terrorists kill American troops and innocent civilians. He was tortured for his lack of compliance. He was continually held underwater until it almost killed him, and then he was pulled out just long enough for him to take a much needed breath only to be plunged into the water again.

Violet's heart was racing and her breathing was coming in big gulps. Each time Tony went under the water, she tended to hold her breath with him; even getting a slight buzzing feeling in her head and burning sensation in her lungs from the lack of oxygen. Violet imagined Tony felt those same discomforts, but more likely a hundred times worse. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Tony was literally going through hell; through things that pressed human endurance to its limits. It struck her to her core. Tears were starting to make their way down her face. She didn't know how much more she could watch. Then the Witchblade allowed Violet to feel what Tony had felt and some of the things that had gone through his mind as he went through the ordeal without any obstruction.

Tony seemed to withdraw into himself; he sank into depression. He knew if he agreed to build the terrorists the missile, they would then get rid of him and his heart could be pierced at any time if the car battery lost its charge. He was ready to give up and let himself die. He didn't deserve to live anyway. All this time he had truly believed he was helping fight the good fight, right the wrongs in the world, and save American lives with his designing and building of weapons. How naïve he had been; his weapons, like that blasted RPG that was used against him, were in the hands of the bad guys being used against the good guys and the innocent. He had seen these terrorist with _his_ S series missiles and _his_ M series mortars. He had created them with the intention of beating the bad guys and protecting the troops using them. It sickened him that their purpose was being twisted, and he knew it was his fault; his lack of oversight, his lack of personal accountability and responsibility.

The civilized man, whose name was Yinsen, Violet learned, started to talk to Tony more and more. He knew the bleakness of the situation, but he tried to motivate Tony into doing something, even if he only had a few days to live. Yinsen knew that Tony hadn't liked what he had seen outside the cave; a valley full of his weapons all in the hands of these evil men. Yinsen asked Tony if he wanted that to be the legacy of the great Tony Stark, or did he want to do something about it? If Tony only had a week of life, then why didn't he make it count for something?

Yinsen's words seemed to put some fire in Tony's belly. Violet knew Tony was pissed beyond belief at his situation, at the terrorists, and at himself. Tony did not miss noticing one of his captors wearing Forrest's watch as some kind of trophy. It filled him with a rage so powerful, it threatened to consume him to the point of killing him, on its own, if he didn't find a way to release it back upon his captors. In other words, he was filled with a deep-seated need for revenge. He had never wanted to kill someone before, but he was determined to wipe these men off the planet. He needed to strike back at them for what they were doing to him, to Yinsen, to countless other innocents like Yinsen, and to the American soldiers Tony respected so much. And Violet found that underneath Tony's initial rage and hatred was a deeper need to make things right. He knew he had screwed up, and that he needed to fix things. Yinsen was right; he may not have a lot of time left, but he was going to make the most of the time he had; he was going to make each second count.

Tony was a weapon's genius; certainly he could come up with something to fight back. An iron-clad determination took over Tony's whole person. He had everything he needed at his disposal, he realized. The stupid terrorists were going to give him access to all kinds of his weapons to make a Jericho missile, so why not use that to his advantage? From then on Tony worked with maniacal passion. He formed a bond of friendship with Yinsen, who eagerly helped him. The evil terrorist group had taken everything from him too, and he was ready to help Tony do something about that.

Together, Tony and Yinsen worked day and night. Violet couldn't believe the change of heart she saw in Tony. He had stopped wallowing in self-pity and was now taking action to do something about his predicament. She watched, amazed at how he created and brought forth the first, primitive version of the Iron Man suit. She smiled as he cleverly used several pieces of see-through paper to sketch the design. No one would be able to tell what the true design was unless they put each piece on top of one another in a specific order. She also witnessed him make his first mini arc reactor out of various parts of his other weapons technology he had available to him. He and Yinsen had literally taken a missile apart just to use one teeny-tiny piece from inside it, and then repeated that step eleven more times.

Yinsen had been astounded at Tony's creations and marveled at the man he had saved. He helped Tony install the mini arc reactor to take the place of the car battery. Tony had just given himself much more than a week to live or the means to power something big for fifteen minutes; such as the armored suit he was building. He and Yinsen worked subtly and quickly, ever aware that guards were watching their every move via video camera. Tony hoped he could fool them long enough into thinking that he was building the missile for them.

All was going according to plan, until the true leader of the Ten Rings ─ the terrorists' group name ─ came to pay Tony and Yinsen a visit. He was not a bumbling, undereducated henchmen; he was an intelligent and cunning adversary, educated and well-versed in many things. Violet shivered the sight of him; tall, very bald, very tan, with piercing black, hawk-like eyes, a long, sharp nose, and thick build. He was not happy with Tony's progress and suspected something wasn't right about what was going on in Tony's makeshift workshop.

His name was Raza, and he wanted to be the next Ghangus Khan, to rule over all of Asia. Raza started talking in Arabic to Yinsen, demanding to know what was going on and what they were up to. He had one of his men force Yinsen to his knees, and he pulled a red hot, glowing coal out of the furnace or forge Tony was using to form metal. He was going to stick it into Yinsen's mouth if he didn't tell him what he wanted to hear. Violet was holding her breath the entire time, trying not to scream and rant at the injustice of it all.

Tony's soul was in anguish. He couldn't let Yinsen be tortured because of him. He didn't want to put Yinsen in harm's way. He didn't understand what Yinsen and Raza were saying to each other, but Tony could tell Yinsen was trying desperately trying to cover for Tony. He was finally seeing how his actions could affect another person; another lesson in accountability, it seemed. It was also a fear coming to life; all his careful planning and subterfuge was about to fail. He had used very ounce of genius he had to make escape and revenge possible. If he just worked hard enough and smart enough he could overcome the situation. Now it looked like despite his best efforts, everything was going to come crashing down.

Whether it was the fear of failure or learning the meaning of consequences on a personal level, it made Tony think of someone other than himself. So Tony stepped forward and told Raza he would have his weapon very soon and not to maim or hurt Yinsen. He explained the doctor was a good assistant, and that he needed him to complete the weapon. Raza relented, but gave Tony an ultimatum – finish the weapon by tomorrow or die. Tony quickly agreed, knowing he had no other choice. He and Yinsen picked up their pace considerably to get the armored suit finished.

Violet couldn't help but enjoy the sight of Tony in an olive green tank top and pants, soaked in sweat, and pounding away with a hammer at a hunk of metal he had had in the fiery furnace. He was shaping it into something with power and deadly purpose, with flames Violet could see dancing in his eyes. Warm waves were sent throughout Violet's body as she watched him bring the hammer down each time to hear a resounding clang. Tony looked like a modern-day incarnation of the Greek god Hephaestus, the smith-god of the forge, maker of mythical and magical weapons for the gods and Greek heroes. The Romans had called the master craftsman, Vulcan. Violet thought Tony truly was the essence of that deity as she observed him at work. Tony's genius in designing and creating weapons well-outstripped that of any ancient god. Violet's attraction to this man was now undeniable; she wanted him – badly.

Tony then finished the face plate to his first Iron Man suit. Violet could feel the hot steam billow off it as he doused it in water and plunked the menacing mask down on his work table. He and Yinsen worked at a feverish pace all night and into the next day. Finally, Tony was ready to get into the suit, which was no easy task. Yinsen had to literally seal him into it. Tony wore welder's thick clothing and gloves under the hard and harsh metal suit to give his body some protection. Violet eyed all the gears and primitive motors that would allow the suit to move as Tony's body would; they were something else. Tony had his co-conspirator download his hastily designed mnemonics program into the suit to help it communicate with his power source and control the suit's movements. He had to be able to lift the heavy metal arms and legs easily, because he'd never have the strength to move the suit on his own.

The terrorists were coming, knowing something was up. Anticipating this to some degree, Tony had made a huge explosive and set it up at the door, blowing away some of the terrorists. It gave Tony and Yinsen a tiny bit of time, but Yinsen realized it wouldn't be enough; the control program download was taking too long. He had to do something. Tony had to have time to let the program take affect. Tony protested vehemently when Yinsen told him he would buy Tony some time. Tony wanted him to stay behind him where he would be safe. Instead, Yinsen grabbed a machine gun off one of the dead terrorists and ran off down the tunnel screaming and shooting.

Violet felt Tony's distress at what Yinsen was doing. She knew he was hoping against hope that the brave, little man would make it, but he had his doubts. He couldn't believe Yinsen was saving his life, again. Fueled by a new wave of rage and will power, Tony surged forward as soon as the download was complete. He busted down the tunnel, through gunfire, through terrorists, destroying everything in his path, powered by his suit. Terrorist henchmen fled from before him as bullets bounced off Tony. He had an immunity to small-arms' fire and the power behind the suit to collapse a man's chest.

When Tony finally got to the cave entrance and saw sunlight, he felt like he was getting somewhere. Then he saw Yinsen, collapsed on a pile of wheat bags, ironically labeled as being made in the USA, and he was riddled with lead bullets. Violet felt Tony's heart sink with despair at the sight. She knew Tony didn't want Yinsen's life to end this way. _Why do good men die and losers like me get to live?_ Tony thought bleakly. Raza suddenly appeared with a rocket launcher. Yinsen rallied enough to warn Tony to look out. Tony barely side-stepped the propelled missile and shot one back at Raza. A good portion of cave wall blew apart and Raza seemed to disappear into the rubble.

Tony flipped up the face plate to look at Yinsen. "Come on. We got to go," Tony insisted, denying Yinsen's fatal condition. "Move for me, come on. We got a plan. We're gonna stick to it." Tony desperately wanted to get Yinsen out of there.

"This was always the plan, Stark," Yinsen said between gasps; his voice very weak.

Tony ignored him. "Come on, you're gonna see your family. Get up," he urged.

Yinsen then let Tony in on his secret. "My family is dead," he whispered. "I'm going to see them now, Stark." Yinsen watched as Tony clenched his jaw, stubbornly not wanting to accept what he was being told. "It's okay. It's okay. I want this. I want this," Yinsen repeated with conviction.

Tony couldn't believe that someone, a stranger from the other side of the world, would sacrifice his life for someone like him. It opened up a part of Tony he never knew was inside him. This was what life was all about; this was what you fought for: love, family, friends, or just plain human selflessness. This was how you made a difference; you gave of yourself; you fought for others when they couldn't themselves; you loved unconditionally; you sacrificed.

Fighting back the tears, Tony struggled to speak, blowing out air first. "Thank you for saving me," he told his dying hero.

Yinsen had one more admonishment for Tony. "Don't waste it. Don't waste your life," were the man's last words. He took one or two more strained breathes, and then he breathed no more. Violet learned in that moment that Tony had fully committed to promising not to waste his life, and that Yinsen's selfless act would never be forgotten by him. He would finish what he and Yinsen started – stopping the bad guys and saving the innocent.

The look on Tony's face after Yinsen's death was pure rage. He was trembling with fury. He closed his eyes for a moment in pain. Then he flipped the face plate down, and with fierce determination, ceased to be Tony Stark, and became an avenging force of devastation. Violet then watched as Tony fought with flamethrowers through more men with their guns and low-yield explosives. He let the flames lick and begin to consume all the numerous crates containing his weapons. Violet gasped as she realized the gears and motors were taking heavy fire from a large caliber machine gun up on a mountain side, in addition to well-placed small arms fire. They started to give out on Tony. He was tough, but not totally indestructible, and the hailstorm of incoming fire threatened to overwhelm him. Tony flicked a switch on his left arm and booster rockets in his boots fired to life. He shot up and out of the terrorist hideout like a rocket going to the moon just as massive explosions caused by the burning weapons overtook the area.

Soon, Tony came tumbling back to earth as he burned through his fuel and power supply. Violet thought she was going to pass out; she was hyperventilating so much. She knew that he had to obey the law was gravity, and that without something to make him fly, he'd fall to his death. Her heart was beating so hard in her chest, she didn't know if she'd survive the next few agonizing seconds. When Tony crash landed in a heap in the middle of some sand dunes, Violet was completely relieved to see the suit take the brunt of the hit, leaving him shaken and stirred, but alive and functioning.

Violet started to cry in earnest then and shake as she tried to come to grips with everything that had happened. She fell to her knees; her legs wouldn't support her anymore. It was all a complete miracle. Now she understood. Now Violet knew what was in Tony's heart; he was truly a changed man. He had been awakened to what he had been and now he wanted to be something better.

"Hey there, Beautiful," Violet suddenly heard Tony say to her. He was now walking toward her in a white shirt and pants. His shirt was half way unbuttoned and she could see his chest and the glow of the circular mini arc reactor. Their surroundings had changed yet again. They still seemed to be in the desert, but a small pond appeared to Violet's left, filled with crystal clear, blue-tinted water. A few palm trees flanked the little body of water and provided some nice and cool shade. _It's an oasis in the desert_, Violet realized.

"You can see me?" Violet asked dumbfounded, trying to stand then and wipe her eyes clear. _Damn, Tony looks good, and I'm all hot and bothered about seeing him charge the bad guys and wipe the floor with them. Bad combination, _Violet thought to herself.

"Every fine inch of you," was Tony's coy reply.

Violet was still dressed in only the black robe Cleopatra's attendants had put her in. She was as welcome a sight as the small oasis in the desert was, maybe even more so to Tony. _She's my oasis in the desert of my own life,_ he suddenly concluded. Yinsen had had a family, while Tony had had nothing. He now knew he had Pepper and Rhodey to a degree, but Violet in his life was different. He looked down into the furthest reaches of himself and finally understood that he now had someone else to care about – someone to love. Was he even capable of that?

He thought after what he had just gone through, for a second time, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, it would have left him exhausted and feeling weak. He felt the opposite instead; pumped up, adrenaline flowing, senses fully alert. And here was an extremely attractive and tantalizing woman in front of him; the perfect thing. The first time around all he had wanted when he got home was an American cheeseburger. This time, however, his appetite was for something else entirely.

_Maybe it _was _good to relive that terrible experience,_ Tony now thought, because he was able to recommit himself to his mission, to doing good, and to helping those in need. His resolve was made stronger, and his purpose was reiterated for him. It helped him to refocus and pull back a little. He had been getting a big head, and he needed to curb his enthusiasm for being Iron Man. He needed to remember the real reasons he was donning the suit.

Violet turned extremely self-conscious and blushed furiously red, making her even more luscious. "How is any of this possible?" she managed to get out.

"Your wonderfully intrusive friend, the Witchblade, decided to test me too," he informed her as he came to stand directly in front of her, eyes roving her feminine form. Looking at Violet, Tony came to a realization. He tried to sense the Witchblade's essence, but couldn't feel it in his mind. "Does this mean I passed?" he asked, speaking to no one in particular.

Violet just stared at him. _What the hell is going on? The Witchblade doesn't test men. What is Tony talking about?_ She couldn't speak, so many thoughts were going around in her head. Tony had been through the ringer and back for a second time, Violet came to understand then. She just knew that he had actually relived his time in Afghanistan. _Did Tony witness my test, as I did his? Did he choose to go through his torturous experience again? Why? What is the Witchblade doing?_

"Hey, you okay, Violet?" he queried her when she said nothing in response to his first question.

"I don't know," she whispered. "I'm really confused." She continued to stare at him, until she suddenly rushed forward and embraced him, glad he was all right. He oofed as she smacked into him, but it didn't take long for him to hug her back. "I'm so sorry that I doubted you," she then told him. "I had no idea what you had to go through. I'm sorry for judging you so unfairly."

Tony smiled as she clung to him. The Witchblade had been right; Violet _had _needed to witness the origin of Iron Man to let go of her preconceptions. "I really don't blame you, you know. I was and sometimes still am, quite an ass. I'm not perfect, not by a long shot. I'm still very human, but I do look at things from a much better and more serious point of view," he said as he held her tightly to him, loving the feel of her and her body.

Violet half-laughed and half-sighed at this. "Join the club," she replied, letting herself lean into him and laying her head on his chest. He felt so strong and so safe.

Violet smelled heavenly to Tony – of jasmine and a slight coconut scent that sunk deep into his pores. He let his hands slide down her back and softly allowed them to caress her butt through the silkiness of her robe. He couldn't resist touching her so; his hormones were almost on fire with her this close and in his arms. He knew he was about to go nuclear any minute.

"S-t-a-r-k," Violet said drawing out his name as she felt where his hands had strayed to. Part of her longed for more and wanted to be immersed in the sensation, but a little, tiny part of her was still frightened.

"Hmmm?" was all the answer she got from Tony.

"What do you think you're doing!?" she scolded him and gasped as his hands gently squeezed the flesh they had in them. _Oh God, I love his touch, _she thought. She almost moaned, "Tony", as she shuddered slightly.

He pulled back enough to look at her, and he grinned mischievously at her. "Savoring the moment," he said huskily. He wanted to crush her to him and kiss her wildly, with reckless abandon, but she hadn't asked him to. He hadn't forgotten her condition, and he wanted to try and honor it. Besides, making her kiss him or asking to be kissed would make her finally admit she was into him, and he knew she was. He just had to get her to call him Tony, and then she'd be his.

Tony's touch sent tingling pulses through her, and she wanted to melt into him, but she wasn't ready to go down this road, yet. It was just too much right now. "Well, you can savor it some other way, Stark. Get your hands off my ass!" she hissed.

Stunned that he still hadn't won her over, his hands fell away from her body and he pulled away from her; although it took every ounce of strength he had to do so. "What's wrong?" he asked, eyeing her wearily and hungrily at the same time. _Damn this woman_, he thought. _Nobody can be _that_ stubborn, not around me anyway. _

Pepper had been the only other woman he had never been able to charm into bed. She had established boundaries the second she started working for him, and he had respected them, because he had respected her. After that it was never an issue, until recently, and then neither of them had really been able to break their normal hands-off routine; it felt too weird. Tony respected Violet too; he genuinely did, but she was a woman he just had to make love to. It was that simple; he was in love with her. Did he even really know what that meant?

Violet turned away from him with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Stark, but I can't," she said lamely.

"Why the hell not?" he demanded not unkindly. "I can see the desire written all over your face, Violet. Why don't you just let go?"

"Because I'm damaged goods, Stark," she sobbed. "You may have a literal hole in your heart, whereas mine is metaphorical, but it's a much deeper and harder-to-heal wound."

It bugged him to no end that she kept calling him Stark. "You're thinking I'm viewing you as just another conquest, huh?" he then asked, coming to stand right behind her.

He'd hit the nail right on the head. "Yes, and once that conquest is complete, you'll leave me out in the cold," Violet confessed her thoughts, and she was shocked that she had. She went to run from him, even though she knew this was still the Witchblade's playing field and that she probably couldn't get far. Tony snatched her before she could bolt and pulled her in close to his body again, holding her in place.

"You're right, Vi," he said, using a nickname she hadn't heard in a very long time. "You_ are_ a conquest," she looked up at him in horror at his words, so he quickly went on, "but not just any conquest. You're the ultimate one, and one that I will want to make time and time again for a very long time. Let me help heal the damage in your heart. Let me love you. It took a man like Yinsen, so totally selfless, to help me heal the problem I had with own heart. He made me think of others first. And the real damage to my heart wasn't physical either; it was something much deeper and much more serious. Hell, I had to _find_ my heart. If you talked to Pepper before it all happened, she would have wondered if I even had one."

Violet thought she had come up with a way to stonewall him. "And we have to have sex for you to help heal _my_ heart?" she asked of him. "Can't you just do something selfless for me?"

That did it; Tony was too shocked to make any glib remark. How did he answer those questions? They didn't have to be physical, he guessed, for him to show her he loved her, but he sure as hell wanted to. Then he thought, hadn't he done something at least partially selfless in suffering through his eye-opening experience in Afghanistan all over again? Violet must not realize that the only reason he allowed the Witchblade to do that to him was because of her.

As he was trying to find the right way to answer her, Violet spoke again. "I don't want to be another Christine Everheart, Stark. You used her for your own pleasure and to feed your ego. Then you treated her like garbage when you had had your fill. I understand that you've had a change of heart regarding your purpose in life. I get that, and I appreciate it. You've been given a wonderful gift, and you are aware of that on some level. But, I'm not going to be another body to fill up one lonely night. Find somebody else for that job."

"You really don't get it, do you?" he demanded.

"What don't I get, Stark?" she asked in return, sighing wearily and slumping in his arms. If she didn't get away from him soon, she might just give into him.

"I don't want you for a night, Violet. I want you night after night, maybe even permanently," he told her. _Holy shit!_ Tony then thought. _Did I just say what I think I said!?_

Now it was Violet's turn to be shocked. She stared up into Tony's eyes and again saw a sincerity that was real. Then she kissed him, fiercely and uncontrollably. It was like someone had freed her from a cage; she felt liberated. She had surprised Tony for a second, and then he was kissing her back just as passionately. Both of them were burning up on the inside as their mouths meet time and again. Tony's mouth started to work its way down her neck and throat, his hands back on her butt. Violet's hands slid inside his shirt and caressed his abdomen, and then his chest. They drew themselves together until there was no space between them, and they could feel the roaring heat of each other's bodies.

_No, _Violetthought, _we don't have to be physical, but it sure feels heavenly to be so. _Then aloud she said what Tony had been yearning to hear, "I do want you, Tony. I want you to make love to me." Her voice was like honey dripping into his ear; her statement was that sweet. He helped her wrap her legs around his waist as he backed into a palm tree trunk, and then he continued his kisses down her body.

Just as things really started to heat up, a solitary figure appeared before them, dressed in full armor and some kind of white, wispy cloak. It was a woman, who seemed to be a combination of all the Witchblade wielders in one, and she had a very powerful aura about her. "Well, you two finally let your guards down. It's about damn time. I'm so pleased that you have both passed the Periculum; although, for a time, you both had me seriously worried. I think it's time that you returned to the land of the living; both of you reborn to your new destinies." And with that Tony and Violet felt themselves fade away, losing the warmth and bliss of each other.

TBC

**What is the verdict on this chapter? Was it a good summarization? A fair portrayal of the movie events? And what happened to Tony and Violet? Reviews are the best encouragement, so leave some to aid me in wanting to post again. Thanks!!**


	12. Chapter 12: Accepting Destiny

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own any of the rights to anything Iron Man, that right goes to Marvel Studios/Comics. I don't own any of the rights to anything dealing with the Witchblade that right goes to Top Cow Productions. The only thing I claim as mine is any original characters I created and the plot of this particular story. No copy right infringement is meant. This is for fun and not for money.**

**A/N: Here is the aftermath of the Periculum for Tony and Violet, along with those who were keeping vigil over them. Will reliving his hostage experience really humble Tony Stark and recommit him to his mission? You'll have to read and see. Also, I tried to put a little more Pepper in this chapter and make her a little less one-dimensional, as one reader suggested. You'll have to tell me how I did. Violet would be a good friend for Pepper and vice versa. Think of how they could team up against Tony. LOL!! Please don't just read and then click out of the chapter. Take a few minutes and make the holidays a little brighter by leaving a review. Feedback really helps me as a writer, and I really enjoy it. Thanks guys!!!**

**Again, I must mention what a terrific beta reader AblatedCrayon is. You made great suggestions and caught my silly mistakes; in other words you did a fantastic job helping me produce a better product. :) Also, thanks need to go to RID3RLVR (Ari) for going over the chapter as well. Your perspective adds so much. You guys rock!!!!**

**-Ladyhawke Legend**

* * *

**Chapter 12**

**Accepting Destiny**

Director Nick Fury had fallen asleep. He hadn't meant to, but after days of toil, and now this late night vigil, he couldn't help it. Tony awoke from the dreamlike state the Witchblade had placed him in. Two things were astonishingly clear to him: one, the Witchblade had totally released his mind, and its tentacles were gone from his body; and two, Violet was wrapped up in his arms, nearly unclothed, and so was he. Violet's legs were tangled pleasantly in his, one arm settled on his waist, the other settled on his chest, and her head was lying on his shoulder. She was snuggled up tightly to his body, very intimately. Tony let himself revel in this fact for quite some time. He seriously thought about perusing a similar course of action they had been taking in the Witchblade's realm, but then he became aware of Fury's snoring presence.

Tony wondered why Violet wasn't awake as well. He looked her over, trying not to dwell too long on her delicious body. The Witchblade had not entirely released its hold on her yet. A few tentacles were still encompassing her right arm and leg. _Why is it continuing to partially restrain her, when she's passed its ultimate trial?_ Tony wondered silently. It worried and bothered him severely.

"Violet, Violet," he said to her as he gently shook her, trying to get a response from her. She stirred only slightly and snuggled deeper into him. Not that her movement wasn't welcome or titillating, but it wasn't the kind he was looking for. He wanted her to open her eyes and talk to him.

Fury, however, did wake at the sound of Tony's voice in the quiet room. His right eye blinked rapidly for a moment, and then it focused on Tony. He grunted in surprise when he realized Tony was staring back at him. He grunted again; this time letting Tony know just how much he disapproved of the situation he saw before him.

"Hello there, Mr. Stark," Fury finally said, his voice laced with authority.

"Director Fury," was all Tony said in reply, trying to act unfazed by the director's presence.

"Apparently, we have a lot to discuss, Stark," Fury said next. "You've been holding out on me and working behind my back. You know how that tends to piss me off."

While Fury was speaking, Tony searched for and found some of the top sheet of the bed and pulled it over Violet and himself, to at least give Violet some dignity back. He, himself, couldn't really care less that he was caught in a sort of composing position, but he knew Violet would be mortified. He answered Fury's last statement with, "Some things take priority over your state of happiness, Director."

Fury just shook his head before asking, "Are you all right, Stark? And what of Miss Devonshire?"

"I think so," Tony said honestly. "I'm not quite sure what exactly happened, but I feel pretty normal. How long have you been here?" Tony now asked with great curiosity.

As he waited for the director's answer, Tony quickly looked around the room. He could tell where the Witchblade vines had punctured the bed's mattress, for rips and tears in it were very visible. He did a double take as he noticed that the headboard was badly scratched; he'd have to replace the whole bed. He assumed that his expensive and state-of-the-art laser cutter was no longer on the floor because he couldn't see it. He hope like hell that Pepper had been the one to pick it up and put it away properly. The drapes to the windows were closed and the room seemed dark, so Tony figured it must be nighttime.

The S.H.I.E.L.D. director looked over at a clock on a bedside table. It read about three-thirty in the morning. "About six and half hours, but the Witchblade's had you and Miss Devonshire held up for almost thirty-six. I take it since you're able to talk to me, that you passed the Witchblade's test?"

Tony gaped at Fury. _He knew about the Periculum, and that the Witchblade had decided to test me?_ Tony thought in shock. "You knew this was going to happen?" he questioned Fury angrily.

"To Miss Devonshire, yes. To you, no," Fury answered him, unashamedly. "In fact, we've been waiting for it to happen to her, expecting it long before now. You, on the other hand, are a complete and total surprise. The Witchblade doesn't have much to do with men you know."

"I guess I'm just special," Tony replied sarcastically. "Why didn't you warn her? Tell her it was coming? I know you have a file on her, but you've never tried to contact her. Why?" Tony was now very accusatory.

Fury glared back at Tony, his own anger flaring. "You have a lot of nerve, Stark," he growled. "Why didn't you contact S.H.I.E.L.D. and let us know that _you _had come into contact with her, if you knew we had a file on her?"

Tony sat up, carefully pulling out of Violet's embrace and making sure she stayed covered. He wasn't going to let Fury get away with not answering his questions. "I asked you for an explanation first," he deflected the director's question.

"You're sure an annoying pain in my ass, you know that, Stark?" Fury huffed.

"Right back at ya, Director," Tony spat in reply.

Fury sighed, realizing he wasn't going to get anywhere with Stark this way. He finally decided to answer Tony's questions. "We've been in observer mode only with Miss Devonshire, because we wanted to see what she could and would do with her new found power. Which side would she choose: good or evil? We didn't want to approach her and let her know about our existence until we had a firm psychological profile and could predict her most likely response. We didn't want to tip our hand too early. And we needed time to research and learn more about the Witchblade itself too.

"Apparently, the Vatican had it in its possession for about five hundred years, only letting a woman wield it in the direst of circumstances. We just recently found some intel about it being in the hands of Adolf Hitler for a while, which understandably worried us. A top American spy, named Elizabeth Bronte, was able to get it out of the Nazis' hands, and then she fell into the hands of Kenneth Irons. He has had it under lock and key, until just a few years ago, when Detective Sara Pezzini became its chosen wielder. The turn of events that landed it on Miss Devonshire's wrist was a real surprise," the director shared.

Tony interrupted Fury's explanation then. "Because Violet's isn't of the normal Witchblade bloodline, right? Violet's something different, something new."

"Exactly," Fury said as he leaned back in his chair again. "She doesn't fit any of the Witchblade's typical patterns. She was born to her parents, not adopted like many of the other wielders. She had a close knit family, whereas most wielders have been only children. It has always followed the same path with every wielder, until now. Nothing it has done with Miss Devonshire has been according to its regular MO, least of all, your involvement, Stark."

"While I was under its direct influence it said something to me about being the first 'perfect match'," Tony decided to tell Fury, and Tony saw the director's brow furrow. "It wouldn't elaborate on what that meant. All I know is, it wants Violet and I to work together; wants her to be part of the Avenger Initiative. And I think you can be rest assured that Violet will fight on the part of the good guys. I didn't contact S.H.I.E.L.D. when I first found out about Violet because she was already skittish enough around just me. I thought I would gain her trust, offer her shelter, and then see how she felt about meeting with your agency. I wasn't going to keep you out of the loop forever, just for a little while."

Fury frowned harshly at Tony as he studied him carefully for quite a long time before replying. "The Witchblade actually talked to you?" That seemed to astound the director, but Tony could see other wheels turning behind the director's eyes. He was trying to put it all together.

"I guess so," Tony said suddenly feeling very weak and worn out. "I could hear its voice in my head."

Fury noticed Tony's onset of fatigue. "We need to get you some fluids and nutrients. You've been restrained for an unhealthy period of time. I'll get one of my agents to wake Pepper. She's been right by your side until I had to order her to get some rest. You scared the shit out of all of us. What of Miss Devonshire? Is she all right?" The director went back to one of his original questions.

Tony looked down at Violet's still sleep-prone form. She was warm and breathing evenly, but not conscious. "I don't know why she didn't wake up when I did. Maybe the Witchblade isn't quite done with her," he said this matter-of-factly, but he was very uneasy inside.

"Let's hope it'll be soon," Fury then told Tony, "because the lack of fluids and nutrients isn't good for her either."

"I think I need a change of clothes," Tony stated out-of-the-blue. He looked down at his ripped and torn tank top and jeans lying around him. "I don't think this looks too good right now. Maybe something to cover Violet in as well."

Fury chuckled at Tony's predicament. "Oh, come on, Stark. This isn't the first time you've been caught with your pants down, in bed, with a beautiful woman."

Tony made a face at the director. "True, but this is the first time that it matters," he confessed. Fury just chuckled again and shook his head. Then he got up out of the chair to fetch Tony some intact clothes and to alert Pepper that her boss had returned to the land of the living.

* * *

Violet was having a hard time regaining her balance as she found herself no longer in Tony's arms. Part of her was relieved and part of her was sorely disappointed. She was now dressed in a flowing, white gown. It hugged her curves, but draped around her like running water. Her long, dark hair was free and blowing in the cool breeze that seemed to have come up. Her body still hummed from Tony's kisses and caresses.

She was so confused again; just as she had given in and accepted his affection, she was stopped or cut off from him. It didn't make any sense. Violet came up with so many questions. _Why is the Witchblade playing with me so? Where did Tony go? Where am I now? What am I really supposed to be doing? Who am I supposed to be? What is my true purpose in being chosen as a wielder of the Witchblade? Can I really become a genuine hero?_

"You're all ready one, Vi," a familiar and much beloved male voice seemed to answer her last internal question. Violet turned to stare as she took in the sight of her older brother, Vincent. He was the younger of Violet's two older brothers; the one closest in age to Violet. He had been her best friend, her trusted confidant, and her hero. He had been the only person Violet truly trusted without any hesitation. He had always been there for her, looking out for her and protecting her. She had looked up to him.

"Vince?" she asked in complete disbelief.

He stepped, as it were, out of the mist. He was dressed in a sharply cut, black and white tux. He had the same intensely blue eyes that Violet had, and the same dark brunette hair that she did. He was quite a bit taller than Violet was and built rather broadly. "Yeah, Vi. It's me," he said softly to her.

"How is that possible?" Violet wanted to know. "You're dead, Vince. I saw your body, and I went to yours and Victor's funeral."

Vincent Devonshire smiled warmly at his favorite sibling. "You're wearing _Digitabulum Magae, _Vi," he told her as if that explained everything. When Violet just gawked at him, he finally elaborated. "You can see me because you're wearing it and using its power."

"But I'm not consciously using it," Violet said in awe. "I was just thinking about how much I missed my family, you in particular."

"And now that you've truly bonded with the Witchblade, you can access its powers more freely," Vincent continued to explain. "It has become literally a part of you, Vi. It has fully integrated itself with you. You are part of it now as well."

Violet thought she was going to fall over. _What has the Witchblade done to me? _

"Don't be afraid of it, Vi," Vincent told her now. "This is supposed to happen, little sister. By fully become one with the Witchblade can you can fully embrace your destiny. The things you will be able to do are mind-boggling. You can make a real difference now. You can fight against evil and win."

Violet was trying to listen to what Vince was saying to her and absorb his obvious wisdom, but one thing was praying distractingly on her mind. "Are you mad at me, Vince? Do you feel like I failed you, because I couldn't save you?" she suddenly blurted out, tears filling her eyes.

"Oh, Vi, of course not, sweetheart," Vincent said reassuringly as he came to stand right in front to her. He wanted to hug her and comfort her, but he was not flesh and blood. "Quit blaming yourself for Victor's and my deaths. It was our time to go. We have other things to do now. You couldn't have prevented what happened to us no matter what. Victor and I are fine, we're happy, and we're always here for you."

"Really?" Violet asked tentatively.

"Cross my heart and hope to---," the words caught in his throat. "I swear to God, Vi. Things are good for us. Think of this as a temporary separation. It won't last forever. Death isn't really what you think it is. I can't really—explain it—but you'll eventually understand. Oh, and mom and dad send their love. They're aware of your situation too."

Violet was openly sobbing now. Big, huge tears ran down her face, but these tears were no longer tears of sorrow, but of relief and joy. "Is this real?" she couldn't help but choke out.

"Yes ma'am," Vincent replied. "We're all proud of you, Vi. Keep going and don't _ever_, _ever_ give up. Believe in the Witchblade, little sister, for it believes in you."

"Thank you, Vince," Violet hiccupped. "Thank you so very much. I love you."

"And I love you, Vi. More than the whole sky," he reminded her of his favorite idiom concerning love. It was just so Vince. "Now get back to life and don't be afraid. We are all rooting for you." And with that said, he gently faded back into the mist from where he had appeared.

Violet couldn't believe how much better she felt. It was like a gigantic boulder had been lifted off her back, and the fear and stress she had been living with for the past year or more was suddenly lighter. It wasn't totally gone, but it was a lot less soul-crushing. She silently thanked the Witchblade for its kindness and mercy.

_You earned it, my dear; you earned it,_ the Witchblade whispered to her. _Now let's go home._

"Yes, I think I'd like that," Violet admitted and felt herself fade from the realm of the Witchblade back into the land of the living.

* * *

The second that Violet moved, Tony was aware of it. Fury had just left to go get Pepper and some clothes for him that weren't ripped to shreds. His heart fluttered as relief filled every muscle in his body. He was so glad she was coming around. He watch in fascination as the Witchblade tentacles withdrew from restraining Violet; they seemed to shorten or shrink in size and length. They were quickly reabsorbed into the Witchblade's bracelet form on Violet's right wrist. He couldn't believe his eyes; all of the mass of tentacles had disappeared into that small piece of jewelry. It was totally amazing.

The bracelet form of the Witchblade looked as if it was now literally attached to her, almost as if it were melded into her skin somewhat. Before, if Violet had wanted to, she could have taken the bracelet on and off, like a normal bracelet. Now, however, she would have to wear it permanently. It was part of Violet and Violet was part of it; two separate entities merging into one seamless whole. _Or something like that_,Tony figured. It creeped him out a little. _Will Violet be okay?_ he wondered to himself. Tony wished he knew for certain what this meant, and what it would do to her.

His beautiful lady thief then slowly opened her eyes, blinking several times. Tony made sure that his face would be the first thing she saw as her eyes gained focus, and he decided that his body pressing into hers would be the first thing that she felt as she became aware of her surroundings. He, himself, was mesmerized by her pure sensuality; she filled up all of his senses. He was suddenly feeling frisky, not fatigued anymore.

"Tony?" Violet questioned with obvious confusion in her voice. She had called him Tony and not Stark; that was a very good sign, from Tony's point of view.

"Welcome back, Violet," he told her gently, in way of an answer.

His voice was smooth and liquid fine, and hit Violet right in her gut. "Where are we?" she managed to ask, still not fully aware of everything.

"My New York penthouse," he replied, playing with a strand of her soft, lose hair. Her pony tail had fallen out as she had struggled against the Witchblade. "In a guest bedroom," he added slyly. He had to tease her; he couldn't help himself.

It was then that Violet came to the realization of the situation they were in; barely clothed and in very close quarters. She felt her heartbeat speed up to a rabbit-like pace, and her breathing became more labored. Tony watched in delight as Violet's normally light rosy coloring went almost scarlet. "We, uh, we, um, we didn't, did we?" she stuttered.

"What do you think?" he asked her seductively. He let his fingertips brush her abdomen very gently and very slowly. He felt her shiver and heard her quiet gasp. It made him smile devilishly.

"But that wasn't real," Violet whispered a little out of breath now. "That was the Witchblade's doing, and – and we were interrupted."

"Were we?" he queried with his lips inches from hers. His own heart was pounding in his ears; his breathing had increased too. No woman had ever affected him like this; not this deeply or strongly. Sure he been with his share of them, but none of them could hold a candle to Violet's massive flame.

"Yes, we were," Violet finally recalled, fighting through the hazy pleasure Tony's fingertips were creating by stroking her bare stomach. "I'd remember if we'd actually…," she had to stop herself there.

Tony's smile now turned roguish as it widened at her words; she was almost falling of the edge. He just needed to give her a little bit more of a push and she'd be his. "I'm glad that you'd think that sex with me would be memorable," he baited her.

"That's not what I meant, Stark," she now huffed in argument. "Stop twisting my words."

Crap, she was back to calling him Stark; a push in the wrong direction, he guessed. He wanted nothing more than to take advantage of their proximity and positions, but something actually held him back. Violet was turning cold again, closing up; forcing the issue would only push her further away. He needed to let her come to him. It killed him to relent and not enjoy the pleasure of her body, especially after the Witchblade had given him a taste of what kind of passion Violet was capable of, but Violet had been through so much; hell, so had he. Reliving his Afghanistan experience was sort of reinspiring him to be a little more thoughtful of others. And if Violet continued to be a challenge, he'd happily take it on, knowing in the end, he'd win. Besides, the chase was half the fun anyway. For once he would try and have some impulse control around a beautiful woman. He wondered how long that would last, however; probably not long. He stopped touching her and pulled back from her a little.

It was a good thing Tony did exercise some control, because a boatload of people seemed to come barreling into the room then. Agent Coulson was first one through the door, and he had at least four other agents with him. Following them was Happy Hogan, and he brought three other of Tony's personal security team with him. Director Fury was with Pepper securing clothing for both Stark and Devonshire, and then Pepper had wanted to make sure Tony's New York chef was getting them something to eat and drink, but they would be along shortly.

Violet about flipped out as the security people poured into the room, she was so embarrassed about how she and Tony looked in the bed together. Tony tried not to laugh at her, good-naturedly, as she wrenched the top sheet off the bed, wrapped it around her sleek and well-defined body, and made a beeline for the bathroom as quickly as possible. She still had her underwear on for goodness sake; it wasn't like she was totally nude or anything, but she was still freaking out about it. She stumbled once, her legs a little weak, but she recovered enough to make it to the perceived safety of the bathroom. She almost threw herself through its door, and then slammed it dramatically closed. Tony was sure he heard the locking mechanism slide into place.

He finally turned to face the group of people now awkwardly standing in the bedroom. He gave them a fake smile and a cheesy wave. "Hi guys," he greeted sarcastically. "Where's the fire?"

It was then that Pepper entered the room, followed closely by Nick Fury. _Now the whole gang's here,_ Tony thought wryly. His personal assistant looked like hell, and it took Tony aback. He could tell she had barely slept, and that she had shed many a tear. Her skin was pale, her clothes rumbled, her eyes were bloodshot, her nose was a little red, and her hair was a mess. It wasn't how Tony was used to seeing the always composed and stoic Miss Pepper Potts. She held sets of clothes for him and Violet in her hands.

Tony suddenly felt very guilty for putting her through another round of trauma because of him. It touched him that she apparently worried so much about him. It showed just how much she genuinely cared. Her words of, _"You're all I have too, you know?"_ suddenly came back to haunt him. Being his personal assistant had taken up her entire life practically; he took up all of her time. This was one of the reasons they had decided – well Pepper had seemed have decided – why they couldn't work romantically as a couple. He lived his life on the edge every time he went on an Iron Man mission. If either of them admitted more than friendship, she would drive herself insane with worry. She might even worry herself to death; hell, it looked like she was doing that anyway.

"Hello, Miss Potts," he greeted her with feigned cheerfulness for her benefit. "You miss me?"

"I was once again concerned that I would be unemployed and have to find employment elsewhere. So, yes, Mr. Stark, your absence was felt," she answered him, falling instantly into their safe and comfortable at-a-distance banter.

"Well, you can be rest assured that your livelihood is safe and sound," he told her lightly.

"I can see that, Mr. Stark," she replied. "I have another pair of Levi's for you and a T-shirt. And you might want to consider a shower. You don't smell very fresh."

This last comment got a round of smiles and a few snorts from the agents and security guys. Tony just shrugged it off. "I'll take that under advisement, Miss Potts. Now does everyone have to crowd in here like a can of sardines?" he asked trying to hold onto a little humor.

"We just wanted to make sure you were all right, sir," Happy told his boss. "You gave us all a good scare."

"Yeah, well, that's why I pay you the big bucks," Tony quipped. "Someone has to worry about me." Deep down Tony was grateful to Happy. In Afghanistan Tony had wondered why Yinsen had saved his life and looked after him. Yinsen had told him that somebody had to do it. Now Tony was realizing just how many people really did care about him. Happy just shook his head at Tony, but the look on his face was of total relief. Tony seemed like his normal self to the big bodyguard.

"Once you've had something to eat and drink, we will need to thoroughly debrief you, Mr. Stark," Agent Coulson then jumped into the conversation. "Miss Devonshire too."

Tony was about to argue with Coulson when Fury spoke. "That is not a request, Stark. We aren't leaving here until we've had a good, long talk with both you and Miss Devonshire. Deal with it."

All Tony could do was shrug; he knew this was coming, but he wanted to put it off as long as possible. He wanted to make sure all was well with Violet first, among other things. "Fine. But food, drink, a change of clothes, and a shower, first, but not necessarily in that order. And you might want to let me convince Violet that she should talk to you."

"Fair enough," Fury responded, "but don't you dare try and weasel out of this. It isn't going to happen this time." With that Fury signaled all of his people to reconvene elsewhere in the penthouse apartment. When Tony nodded at Happy, he and his men trailed out after the S.H.I.. team.

Pepper was the only one to remain. "Where _is_ Violet?" she asked with a concerned frown. "Is she all right?"

"She hightailed it into the bathroom when everyone burst into the room," Tony told her with a flick of his chin in the direction of the bathroom. "I think she was a little self-conscious," he added.

"Being caught in only your underwear can do that to a girl you know," Pepper informed him. "Especially, a girl like Violet, being caught in her underwear with _you_."

"Some would consider that a crowning achievement, Miss Potts," he said rather glibly, not liking what she was trying to say.

Pepper tried not to roll her eyes at him, just relieved he was alive and well, and still him. "Some probably would, but no one you'd want to bring home to meet Jarvis," she quipped back.

"Did you just make a joke, at my expense, Miss Potts?" he now feigned being hurt.

"Maybe I did," was all she would say. "Now, go shower and change. You really do reek, Mr. Stark. And if Violet's shut herself in the bathroom, I might have a better chance at talking her out of there than you, at the moment."

"Agreed, Miss Potts," Tony said, deciding Pepper might get Violet out of the bathroom without having to break down the door. Violet would probably tell him to go jump in a lake right now, so maybe it was better that Pepper deal with her. "I really need to run some diagnostics on my chest piece. I need to know if being in such close contact with the Witchblade damaged it, drained it, or adversely affected it in any way. The arc reactor seems to have a strange reaction to the Witchblade sometimes. I need to check and see if everything is okay."

Pepper didn't like the sound of that, and she didn't know what it meant. "Do you feel all right?" she asked concerned. "You're not going to go into cardiac arrest or anything?"

"Nah," Tony tried to allay her fears, "the reactor seems to be working fine. I just want to take some readings; mainly out of curiosity's sake. I still don't know if the Witchblade is something biological or mechanical. It acts like both. The arc reactor's energy seems to react to it funny; that's all." Then he added, "I'll get out of your hair so you can do the girl talk thing," he joked, trying to lighten things up.

Pepper turned discretely around to allow Tony to leave the room, without exposing too much of himself to her. He still had on pieces of his clothes, but a lot was uncovered as well. As Tony took that as his queue to leave, he gently grabbed Pepper's hand and gave it a light squeeze. It was a subtle way for him to tell her thank you. Then he was gone, carrying the clothes she had thrown on the bed, but Pepper allowed herself one small peek as he left. She wasn't disappointed with his fine body. She had to shake herself back to reality; no time to dwell on what she couldn't have.

She went to the bathroom door and knocked softly. "Violet, it's Pepper. Everybody but me is gone now. It's safe to come out. I have a change of clothes for you, and you're welcome to use the shower if you want to."

Pepper heard a faint rustling and shuffling behind the door. "Is _everybody _gone?" Violet's muffled voice asked tentatively.

"Even Mr. Stark has left, Violet," Pepper said, knowing exactly what Violet meant by "everybody". "Can you open the door and let me in? I just want to check and see if you're all right? We've been very worried about you." That was the truth; part of Pepper's distress had been for Violet too. Despite Tony's infatuation with Violet, Pepper did like the young woman. She wasn't the type Tony usually went for. She was a refreshing change of pace; maybe even someone Pepper could call a friend, if given enough time.

The clicking of the lock being released let Pepper know that Violet was letting her in. She slowly opened the door to find Violet sitting on the floor, still wrapped up in the bed sheet. "Are you okay?" Pepper asked as she came to Violet's side.

"Yeah," Violet slurred a little. "I'm just really weak."

"I'll get you a robe, and we'll get you back into bed. Then I'll get the chef to fix you something to eat. You'll probably need a lot to drink too," Pepper said, taking charge of the situation. Violet had a kind of a blank look in her eyes. Someone had to look out for the young thief. "And then I think we'll give you a nice, long, hot bath, instead of a shower. Let you relax and regain your strength. I can't imagine what you've been through."

Violet finally looked right at Pepper. "Thank you, Miss Potts. I'm so glad you're here," Violet told her as tears filled her eyes once again. "I can see why Stark trusts you so much. I'm sorry to cause so much trouble. I'm not trying to."

"I know," Pepper said as she sat down beside Violet on the bathroom floor and put her arm around Violet's shoulders, in a comforting gesture. "You didn't ask for any of this, and if I know Mr. Stark like I do, he probably isn't making it any easier on you."

"He can be a little…overwhelming," Violet tried to find the right word.

"That, my dear, is the understatement of the year," Pepper said dryly. "He is a certified pain in the ass. But," she added, "he means well, most of the time."

Violet laughed lightly at Pepper's comment, starting to feel human and grounded again. She wiped at her eyes. "I hope so," Violet then whispered.

"Come on. I'll help you get situated," Pepper said kindly. "You'll want to rest up before you meet the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. He's anxious to talk to you."

Violet couldn't help but shiver at that thought. Here was her chance to be part of something; a group who would help her be part of something meaningful, help her find her inner hero. But she was also terrified that she wouldn't live up to everyone's expectations; that she would let everyone down. Vincent's voice echoed in her mind then, "Believe in the Witchblade, little sister, for it believes in you." She made up her mind that she would embrace her new destiny and forge her new path forward. It was also comforting to know that she wouldn't have to do it alone, either.

TBC

**Hope people liked this chapter. Drop me a line and let me know. Will Tony actually be able to thaw out Violet? You'll just have to stay tuned and encourage me with reviews. :) Thanks!!! And if I don't post again until after the holidays, I want to wish everyone a Happy Holidays (Merry Christmas for those it applies too) and a Great and Fun New Year!!!**


	13. Chapter 13: A New Recruit

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own any of the rights to anything Iron Man, that right goes to Marvel Studios/Comics. I don't own any of the rights to anything dealing with the Witchblade that right goes to Top Cow Productions. The only thing I claim as mine is any original characters I created and the plot of this particular story. No copy right infringement is meant. This is for fun and not for money.**

**Rated T: Mainly for language.**

**A/N: Has anyone been wondering why Irons didn't take advantage of Violet's and Tony's vulnerable positions? This chapter will explain why he didn't. I also had Tony consult Jarvis about what the Witchblade has been doing to his chest RT. My wonderful beta reader, AblatedCrayon, pointed out that I needed to hash that out a little bit. A really fun idea came out of it too. The comics have their version of the Witchblade's origins, and so did the TV show. I decided to come up with one of my own, and I promise to explore the idea more later. :) Tony also tries to confront Violet about their relationship, and the two of them talk to Fury about the Avengers. I put a small plug for the Hulk in here too. I liked the new and improved version they did with his character this summer, and I loved the tie-in they did with Tony at the end of the movie. This chapter is kind of long, but I think it flows well and moves fairly fast.**

**I 'd love to get more reviews. I seemed to have lost some reviewers, but I did gain one old one back; that made my month. If you choose to make a New Year's resolution, please make it to leave reviews for the authors whose stories you read; especially mine. LOL!!! It just really helps to know how people react to what I write. I will make the resolution as well. Thanks to all of you who do review. You are truly angels. :)**

**I just want to say thanks to AblatedCrayon for all of his wonderful help and terrific support. He rocks!!! As does RID3RLVR (Ari). She helps make my postings possible too. :)**

**- Ladyhawke Legend**

* * *

**Chapter 13**

**A New Recruit**

Nottingham watched as the last of the spasms racked his master's body. Kenneth Irons' trusty bodyguard had been vigilantly looking after his master as he felt and experienced the effects of the Periculum on its current wielder. Soon after Irons had proclaimed that the ultimate Witchblade trial had begun, he had collapsed onto the floor. As Violet, safe in Tony's penthouse apartment went through her test, Irons felt it all. Every lash, pull, twist, and piercing the Witchblade's tentacles performed on Violet, it was almost as if Irons was going through the exact same thing. His body movements mirrored hers as the Witchblade had restrained her and positioned her body on the bed. Irons did not, however, know what was going on in the Witchblade's realm; he was blocked from that. Nottingham knew he could do nothing but observe and wait it out. Irons was not afraid of the experience, for he had gone through the same thing when Sara Pezzini had undergone the Periculum.

"Has she passed or failed?" Nottingham now asked reverently as Irons slowly opened his eyes.

"Passed," Irons whispered in return. "And so has Stark," he added with acid in his voice. He was so enraged that the Witchblade had tested Tony Stark as well as Violet, and it had accepted him as worthy. It _did not_ test men that way. _Why now and why Stark? Why not me, when I'm the one who has gone to such great lengths to join with the blade? _Then his mind came back to the prophecy, and a raw hatred began eat away at him. He hated Tony Stark with a passion and vengeance he had never felt before. This man was _not_ going to be the one to fulfill the prophecy. If it was not going to be Irons, then it would not be anyone else. Stark would not only die, Irons would see him suffer for an eternity before he killed him with his bare hands.

"Is that as you would wish or no?" Nottingham questioned tentatively, sensing the mood shift in his master.

Irons made himself sit up with Nottingham's help. "It is good and bad; to our advantage and disadvantage at the same time."

"What do you mean?" Nottingham wanted clarification.

Irons sighed heavily. "Please, get me some water, Ian. I'm positively dying of thirst," he ordered before he answered. As Nottingham scrambled to pour some water from a pitcher sitting on his master's desk, he listened carefully to what Iron's said next. "It is good, because now Violet has completely become one with the Witchblade. They fully share each other's minds and powers. Violet's blood will be a much richer source to revitalize me now. It is bad, because she can no longer be manipulated by me. I cannot control her, nor have any influence over her, unless she allows it, and we cannot separate her from the blade; take it from her. Just when I had her in my grasp, as mine, of her own free will, I lose her," he said through gritted teeth.

"Surely you can still find ways to fill her mind and spirit with doubt and fear," Nottingham said, bringing a cold glass of water to his master and letting him drinking from it deeply. "She still has weaknesses you can prey upon."

"I'm sure there is," Irons replied, now looking at his loyal bodyguard. "She still has something very precious to her that I can use against her. If she chooses to come to me, then there is still hope of an amicable union. And if not, then her corpse can still be useful to me, and I can see if my backup plan will work." Even as he said this, Irons desperately wished for Violet to come to him. She had a hold on him that the other two wielders he had dealt with couldn't even come close to. He desired Violet as much as he did the Witchblade.

Nottingham looked questioningly at Irons, not sure what he meant by "backup plan". It was not something Irons had discussed with him. "What are you saying?" he then asked.

"Violet's little sister, Ian, her little sister," was Irons' response. She would be a poor imitation, but at least she resembled Violet somewhat.

Realization hit Nottingham like the proverbial tons of bricks. "You mean if you can't use her to make Violet come to you, you'd try and use her as the next wielder?" Nottingham was utterly shocked.

"Why do you think I have cultivated such a strong and controlling relationship with the sweet Vanessa Devonshire, hmmm?" Irons now asked the question. "Why do you think she has not shared her brothers' or her parents' fate?"

"Because you've wanted to use her for your own purposes all along," Nottingham said as he bowed his head in respect to his master. When Irons indicated that he wanted help to stand, Nottingham swiftly complied.

"Exactly," Irons said as he tried to gain his equilibrium. "Is our Middle Eastern friend already in play?"

"Just as you ordered," Nottingham answered.

"Pity," was Irons' comment. "I wanted to break Stark's neck myself, after I took Violet from him. Oh well, if our assassin fails, then I will get my chance. If he succeeds, then I have one less problem to worry about. I think a shower and a meal would do me a world of good. Go get the car, Ian. I need to get home."

"Yes, master," Nottingham said, still marveling at how his master planned ahead. With that said, he quickly left Irons' office to secure transportation to travel back to Irons' mansion.

* * *

Tony was staring at the results of the mini arc reactor's diagnostics. He couldn't believe what he was seeing on the screen. He'd had Jarvis run all the tests three times because he couldn't accept what he'd read. Tony had designed the little version of the arc reactor to be a safe, stable, and long lasting power source, but like most power sources, it wasn't unlimited. It could be drained, overcharged, or broken. When he made it, he created it to be as efficient as possible. It seemed, however, that the Witchblade had increased its power output to one hundred thirty percent, and increased its effective use of that power by forty percent.

"How is this possible, Jarvis?" Tony asked, finally breaking his stunned silence. He was sitting in a smaller version of his Malibu workshop. It wasn't as grand and fancy as that one was, but this New York workshop worked in a pinch for what Tony needed. He had showered and was in the process of eating a steak dinner his New York chef had made for him. He was on his third bottle of water too. He'd wanted some scotch, but Pepper had nixed that, letting him know that the alcohol would only dehydrate him more.

"I don't have enough data to present you with a working hypothesis, sir," Jarvis informed Tony.

The weapons genius sat back in his chair, shaking his head, still trying to digest this turn of events, along with his food. "Here, all along, I thought the Witchblade would be causing a power drain or disruption, but it has done just the opposite. It's improved on my design; made it better."

"And that upsets you?" Jarvis inquired to make conversation, like he was programmed to. Tony liked having someone or something to bounce his ideas around with, so Jarvis was fully interactive that way.

"Kind of…not really…hell, I don't know," was Tony's confused answer. "I just can't figure out how it did it, or why. I mean it's great and helpful, but disturbing too." Then he had another question for Jarvis. "What do you think the Witchblade is? Have any of your searches come up with anything useful?"

Jarvis didn't answer immediately; it took the AI a few seconds to collate all the data it had been complying. "Nothing concrete or scientifically trustworthy, sir," Jarvis then said. "Most of the records I have searched through are based on hearsay; myth and legends. However, I could offer you a hypothesis on the subject."

"By all means, Jarvis, enlighten me," Tony said eager to hear what Jarvis had come up with.

"From what I can piece together, the Witchblade maybe a very advanced type of weapons technology. It seems to incorporate both biological tissue with some type of unidentifiable metal alloy. It may even be some kind of advanced artificial intelligence," Jarvis reported.

"Where could it have come from?" Tony desperately wanted to know. "It's supposed to be thousands of years old."

Jarvis had a hypothesis for that too. "It could possibly come from an advanced civilization that has long since disappeared or has been wiped out; one that has yet to be discovered."

"You mean something like the legend of the lost city of Atlantis?" Tony said trying to pick his mouth up off the floor. Jarvis' ideas had his head spinning. "Do you really think that humans could have been that advanced at one time, and then suddenly not?"

"There are high probabilities for that scenario, sir," Jarvis reminded him. "There are countless historical accounts of great civilizations being destroyed and rebuilt all throughout human history. Why could not the creators of the Witchblade be one of them?"

There was one other possibility that had crossed Tony's mind, but he didn't want to voice it, because it sounded hokey and ridiculous. He decided to throw it out to Jarvis anyway. "What about the possibility that the Witchblade's origins aren't Earth based?"

"If you're suggesting that they are alien in origin, then I would need more information to go on. As of now, I see that as highly unlikely," was Jarvis' reply. "Everything points to it being terrestrial based. It is interesting that almost every known civilization, from Asia to Europe to the Americas has had a wielder. It doesn't seem to really pick one race or culture over another. It has been equal with all of them. The Witchblade does seem to appear on the scene of history in times of great need for one civilization or another. Perhaps those who created it realized or predicted the need for its creation on a global scale and not just for their own civilization or time period."

Tony honestly didn't know what to think about what Jarvis had said. _Could the Witchblade really have been created by an unheard of advanced human society that was now lost and gone? That would be the find of a lifetime_, Tony thought to himself.

"I wonder if Violet would let me take a look at the thing, you know run an analysis on it? That is if the Witchblade itself would be willing to let me near it," Tony said out loud to no one.

"That would be something you would have to ask Miss Devonshire, sir," Jarvis told him. "It would be helpful to have a sample of the Witchblade material to run tests on."

"Well, I'll just have to ask her then, won't I?" Tony retorted playfully. He thought it was about time to check up on his lady thief, and see if Pepper had made any progress with her. "Keep digging, Jarvis. I want to know as much about the Witchblade as possible."

As Tony got up to leave, Jarvis said, "Certainly, sir. I'll keep searching. Oh, and sir, Director Fury is anxious to talk to you."

"Outstanding," was Tony's sarcastic and aggravated reply.

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me!" Violet exclaimed doubling over from laughing so hard.

"Honest to God's truth," Pepper stated, trying to be somber, but failing miserably at it; she was laughing quite hard too.

She had been brushing out Violet's long, brunette locks, after Violet had enjoyed a long, hot, soak in a lavish bathtub. Violet had also devoured the primer rib dinner that Tony's New York chef had created for her. Now the girls were both seated at a vanity in yet another glorious guest bedroom in Tony's penthouse apartment. Pepper could sense Violet's unease at being in the room where she had almost died, and had to endure the Witchblade trial. The change of scenery was nice. This room was all creams, tans, and browns; very warm and cozy feeling. Pepper had been regaling Violet with stories about Tony and the trouble he tended to get himself into. It had left them both in stitches; some of the situations had been so ridiculous.

Pepper had decided to try and forge a friendship with Violet. It was nice to have another person to share all the stuff with that Pepper just couldn't share with her family and friends outside of her job. Violet was privy to all aspects of what was going on in Tony's life, and it was a good outlet for Pepper to vent with her. Pepper realized she needed a friend on the inside of things, just as badly as Violet needed a friend to help her to adjust to her new circumstances. The more time Pepper spent around Violet and the more she talked to her, the more Pepper decided they had a lot in common. Violet was turning out to be a wonderful person when she let her guard down. It was like discovering a new family member, a new sister or something.

"Don't tell, Tony I told you, or he'd never let me live it down," Pepper said conspiratorially.

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it, Pepper. You're secret's safe with me," Violet replied and erupted in a fit of giggles again. _Damn, it feels good to laugh again,_ Violet thought to herself. _And Pepper's a godsend._

Once Violet had regained some of her energy and her mind was clear again, she took notice of Pepper's disheveled appearance before Tony's personal assistant had straightened herself up. Violet recognized quickly that what had happened to Tony had really affected Pepper, and that Pepper must care an awful lot about her boss. Violet sensed Pepper's feelings were more than those of a good friend; they were that, but also much more. Maybe it was the Witchblade's intuition or maybe just her instincts as a woman, but Violet had the feeling that Pepper loved Tony very much. Violet didn't want to be a rival against her for Tony's affections. She was thinking of now trying to dissuade Tony of his new interest in herself.

Violet still didn't know how she felt about Tony Stark. She thought she liked him and didn't mind teaming up with him to fight the bad guys, but she continued to have doubts about letting him have a piece of her heart. Her insight into Pepper's feelings was giving her an excuse to pull back from Tony. She valued having a friend in Tony's personal assistant now too.

"What are you two ladies scheming about in here, huh?" Think of the devil, and Tony appeared in the doorway of the bedroom.

He had obviously showered and was now dressed in jeans and a plain black T-shirt. Violet could just make out the mini arc reactor circle underneath. He had combed his hair and groomed himself too. He looked sinfully handsome. Violet had to look away from him before she looked too thoroughly over him and let her mind wander too far. Her body almost hummed in his presence now. Violet didn't know if that was because of their shared Witchblade experience, or just because she had admitted how attracted she was to the weapons genius. Just when she thought she was in control and could deny herself anything to do with him, he sucked her right back in with just a look.

"Don't you wish you knew?" Violet was the one who answered first, giving Pepper a plotting look. She was putting up a front, going back to her snarky attitude again; it felt safe to Violet.

"Just girl talk, Mr. Stark. Nothing that you'd find interesting," Pepper replied cryptically, after returning Violet's plotting look.

Tony sudden felt very left out and very uneasy. He was glad that Violet and Pepper were getting along so well, but now they would be two against one, if they chose to be. "Just remember who signs both your paychecks," he told them both with mock sternness.

"How are you feeling, Tony?" Pepper's tone and demeanor changed as it soften considerably. She then stood up from the vanity bench and tried to assess her employer.

Tony noticed that Pepper had finally gone more causal with some navy blue shorts and a navy blue and white, striped, short-sleeved top. Her strawberry blonde hair was up in a high pony tail. It was nice to see her out of a business suit. He had to admit that she had very lovely legs too. His eyes wandered over to Violet who was dressed in jean shorts and light pink top. The top had a rounded neck and dropped off her shoulders a little. The sleeves were short, but seemed wispy as they came down over her upper arms. Violet had her hair totally down and totally loose, flowing down her back. He suddenly forgot how to breathe looking at her.

"I'm feeling much better, Pepper. Thanks for asking," he managed to said to his assistant, after he tore his eyes away from Violet. He didn't miss the use of his first name. Pepper didn't use it often, and when she did it was because she was worried about him. "How are you doing, Vi?" he asked of Violet then, purposely using the nickname to see how she would respond to it.

"Still tired, Stark, but more human again," Violet answered, letting him know with the use of his last name that she didn't like how he'd addressed her.

"Did you need something, Mr. Stark?" Pepper now turned more formal, trying to be a buffer between Tony and Violet.

"Fury is riding my ass for a debriefing with Violet and I," he crabbed, "but I told him that I'd have to talk to her first. Are you feeling up to talking with the director of SHIELD, Violet?" he asked her now using just her first name, trying to see how she'd react. She_ had_ been warming up to him, trusting him, wanting him. Now she was as cold as ice again. It was frustrating him to no end, but kind of in a good way.

Violet now stood so Tony got a good look at her gorgeous legs, and the way her top shimmered as she moved, had his blood pumping. "Pepper told me all about how SHIELD helped you guys out when your friend and mentor lost his mind and tried to kill you all with a gigantic version of your Iron Man suit. They came through for you when you needed them, so it seems like I should at least hear the director out; they seem like good people."

Tony's jaw dropped for the second time in about an hour. He tried not to flinch when Violet mentioned Obadiah, but he knew he had. Violet's change in attitude was amazing. She still seemed cautious, but she was now willing to consider what SHIELD had to offer her. This was great news. It meant that she wasn't going to split on him; well, not right now anyway. Now if she would just change her attitude toward him back to how she was in the Witchblade realm; he had to find a way to thaw her out again.

"Stark?" Violet's voice was suddenly bringing him back to earth.

"Yeah?" he replied, looking at her now.

"You're catching flies," Violet deadpanned. She realized the mistake she had made by mentioning Obadiah Stane, how it seemed to hurt him, so she was trying to lighten things up. Pepper had explained how much like a father he had been to Tony after Tony's own father had died. The betrayal of such a person struck a cord deep with in Violet. So, Tony Stark knew what it felt like to have someone he trusted with everything, turn on him, and then try to kill him. Again, she knew she had misjudged him and should cut him some slack. So why wasn't she, she had no idea.

Tony caught her meaning and closed his mouth. Damn, she had gotten him good; that was something he would have said to her. "Miss Potts, would you please see that the den is all in order for us to have our little meeting with the SHIELD people?" Tony asked of his personal assistant. "And let Director Fury know that Miss Devonshire is willing to join us." At first, he had wanted to hold the meeting in his entertainment room or his game room, but Pepper had squashed that idea. She knew he would get too distracted in there and not listen to what was going on in the meeting.

"Right away, Mr. Stark," Pepper said, knowing full well that Tony wanted to talk to Violet alone. She felt yet another pang of jealousy, but she really couldn't fault Tony for liking Violet; she was a great person. She made her way out the door and down the hall way, leaving Tony and Violet on their own.

Violet went to follow Pepper, ready to get this meeting over with, but Tony stopped her by grabbing her elbow as she tried to pass him. "Where do you think you're going? I'm not through with you yet," he told her coyly.

"Not now, Stark," she whined, but part of her wanted him to make a move on her.

"What's going on with you, with us?" he asked her bluntly; the little patience he had gone. He wasn't going to push, but…

The Witchblade's ghostly whispering echoed all around them; its red ruby center swirling with white mist. It stirred in Violet her desire for Tony; each smoldering touch and each mouthwatering kiss flashing through her mind. Before she knew it she was in his arms again, his mouth inches from hers. "Please let me go, Tony, please," she pleaded as she fought against the raw need to be with him.

Her calling him Tony in her plea made him pull back a little, but he still held her tightly to him, letting her feel his body. "Why? I know you want me as much as I want you, Violet. What's wrong? I thought we worked through this." He could feel the Witchblade's influence as well, pulling them together like a magnetic force.

She allowed herself to rest her forehead against his for a moment, enjoying the connection. "I do want you, and that's what scares me," she said in a hushed tone. "I'm terrified about how I feel. I don't want to lose control."

"I'm not going to love you and leave you, Violet. I swear. Besides, control is highly overrated," he said trying the make her see that. "I let the Witchblade make me relive the most heinous and atrocious moment of my life for you," he blurted out; she had to know. "It told me that if I wanted you in my life, and if I wanted your trust, I had to go through it all again. The most horrendous thing I've ever experienced, besides Obadiah's betrayal, I went through again, because of you."

Violet froze in his arms. She blinked rapidly, and then stared at him, trying to comprehend what he had said. "That was your test?" she finally rasped out.

"Yes," he said plainly.

"You had to actually mentally and physically relive that experience as I watched it unfold?" she asked with a small voice. She was trying to wrap her head around the fact that he had suffered for her sake.

"Yes," he said again simply.

"Why would you do that for me? You don't know that much about the real me," she said in deep shock. A part of her was genuinely touched that he would do such a thing for her.

"I learned a whole lot about you watching you go through your test," he confessed. "The Witchblade allowed me to watch the whole thing. I know what it knows. I know what's truly in your heart, Violet. I think I'm in love with you. That's a new thing for me."

Her deep Caribbean blue eyes glimmered with tears. "You can't be in love with me," was all she could say. _Does a man like Tony Stark even know what real love is?_ She wished it were true.

"Oh, but I am," he challenged her. "I know you feel it too. The Witchblade definitely feels it. It wants us to be together. Let go of your fear and let me love you."

"I want to, Tony; I want to," Violet's voice shook now. "But I really don't know how. This is going to sound totally stupid, but I can't be somebody's lover, right now. You throw sex into the mix of all this and I really will be messed up. I can't move this fast. My heart won't let me. I need you right now; I know that, but not like you want me to need you." She was crying now. "Sex is not recreation for me, Tony; it's much more than that."

_Who has scarred her heart so badly that she feels like this? Was it Irons?_ Tony hated to admit it, but sex _was_ always at the top of his agenda. Violet needed him to lean on, to gain strength from, and here he was trying to get into her pants. Again, he knew should back off and treat Violet a little more like Pepper, and see where it led. Violet's fears and issues were such that something even as powerful as the Witchblade couldn't seem to overcome them. He would have to be subtler and work on her bit by bit, until her defenses were down. He was so used to charming, seducing, and nailing women, that he didn't know how to truly act around them otherwise, except Pepper, and even that was wonky at times. Maybe Violet was in his life to teach him a new way to behave. He came to a decision; it was time to be a better man.

"How about we take things one step at a time?" he finally spoke, gently patting Violet's back. This coming from "Mr. Sometimes-You-Have-to-Run-Before-You-Can-Walk." He couldn't believe it, but deep inside he knew it was what Violet needed, and he needed her, so he'd attempt to take it slow. How long that would last, he didn't know. "Let's get to know each other better and then…," he let his voice drift off, letting Violet fill in the blanks.

"Thank you, Tony," Violet said with a sniffle. She hugged him fiercely to her and held him tight. It was like she was trying to absorb his strength.

For some reason that felt just right to Tony right then. He breathed her in and savored her sweet scent; orchids this time, but with that hint that was just Violet, that essence of jasmine or something like it. He clutched her in his own intense embrace. Then he kissed her lightly on the lips, wanting so much more from her. "We'd better get going. We are, after all, the stars of the show," he joked.

"Don't remind me," Violet sighed wearily, pulling away from him then. "You'll be there the whole time?" She felt like he was her security blanket suddenly. She felt dependent upon him to get through this next step.

"I won't leave your side," he told her. "Wild horses couldn't drag me away from it," he added glibly. He watched as she offered him a small smile, both for his reassurance and his humor.

"Then let's do this before I lose my nerve," Violet said as she slipped one of her hands in his.

The rush Tony felt from her little gesture of trust was as great as any shot of whiskey could ever give him. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, and then used it to haul her down the hall and up the stairs to the den, before he lost his nerve too.

* * *

They were sitting on a black leather loveseat staring at Director Nick Fury. Violet found his height, build, and eye patch all to be quite intimidating. Then he smiled at her and his whole face changed, making him almost personable. Violet studied the man very carefully.

"It's a great pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, Miss Devonshire," he said in his deep and rich voice. "I'm sure Mr. Stark has told you about us and why we're interested in you."

"He's told me a little bit about you, and so has Miss Potts," Violet said in return. "I understand you have a file on me and have been watching me for sometime now." Her tone had turned bitter. She suddenly felt angry. She had wanted to listen to the Director's proposal, but an unsettling thought had struck her.

Fury didn't miss a beat. "Yes, ever since you stole the Witchblade from the auction house," he informed her.

Violet felt herself grow cold, and the anger inside her erupted. "Then you could have stopped it!" she hissed at Fury.

"Stopped what, Miss Devonshire?" Fury asked in confusion.

"You could've stopped Irons from killing my family, you bastard!" Violet shouted at him. She stood and confronted him as he sat behind Tony's mahogany desk in his den. She was boiling inside. _How dare the agency sit there and do nothing to save my brothers' and parents' lives!_ "Why didn't your men stop Nottingham from carrying out their murders?!" she now demanded.

Tony rose from the loveseat and tried to intervene. "Calm down, Vi," he said as he put an arm around her shoulders.

Violet brushed him off, ignoring him. Fury was the one she was focused on. "Answer me!" she growled.

Fury just sat there and let her rant at him; he stayed calm and collected. "We knew of Irons' reputation, if that's what you asking. He's a vile and evil man, but we didn't fully understand what your rejection of him would drive him to do. We didn't know he'd kill your brothers or your parents, until he _had _them murdered. We didn't know what to expect from you either. You're the one who stole the weapon for him, and then slept with him. We thought you might be on his side."

That didn't cool Violet's wrath, although it was clearly an assault on her character. Most of her anger was coming from the fact that, despite Vincent's words to her, she still felt her brothers' and parents' deaths were her fault, and that she had failed to save them. She was striking out at Fury, because he and SHIELD were someone to blame besides herself.

"If you were observing my every move to know what I was doing in the bedroom, certainly you could have seen what was happening to my family members and stepped in to prevent it," Violet accused with ice in her voice.

"Violet, don't do this," Tony said trying to get through to her.

"Butt out, Stark," Violet spat at him. "This is between me and the director." Then she turned back to Fury. "I thought the whole purpose of your organization was save lives, not to let people die."

Fury stood up from the desk and walked around it to tower over Violet. "Look, Miss Devonshire, I'm sorry for your loss. We've all had to see good friends and colleagues die in the line of duty. It is gut-wrenching sometimes. Many of us would love to go back in time with the knowledge we have now and save them. But life doesn't work like that, now does it? Your brothers were assassinated before we could make a move. Your parents' deaths were made to seem like an accident. And we were still unsure about you; we didn't know where you stood. We had to let things play themselves out before we could do anything."

"That doesn't change the fact that you let my brothers and parents die when you could've done something about it!" Violet was still raging.

"Fine, Miss Devonshire," Fury's voice became razor sharp. "We screwed up. We made the wrong call. Is that what you want to hear?"

"Enough!" Tony hollered in interruption. "Both of you just cool it. You; sit down," he ordered Violet, pointing at her. "You; get your act together," he then ordered Fury, pointing at him.

Violet went to protest, so Tony bodily made her take a seat back on the couch, and said, "Aahaahaah!" to her to keep her quiet. "You're going to sit there like a good little girl and listen to what the Director has to say. What's done is done. There's no use in throwing blame around."

Nick Fury looked at Tony in surprise. "What?" Tony said as he caught the director's stare. Then he got it. "I know I'm not usually the parent figure; all that lack of responsibility issue and never growing up, but someone had to get you kids in line," he said with a wide smile.

Fury was not amused. "You can sit your butt down too, Stark," he said curtly. He grew silent a moment before he addressed Violet again. Tony beat a hasty retreat back to the loveseat next to her. "I do apology, Miss Devonshire," Fury began slowly. "My men were only following protocol in dealing with an unknown individual with…unique abilities. Maybe we need to review those protocols and update them." He then changed topics. "All of that aside, we now know just how special and unique you are. After over a year of observation and Mr. Stark's recommendation, we like to invite you to be apart of our agency. That is, if you can get the chip off your shoulder," he added. Fury realized Violet's anger would be passing and did not take it personally, but it was going to make him rethink some things.

Tony took over for Fury for a minute. "When Director Fury dropped by a few months ago, he told me that now that I had donned the Iron Man persona, I was part of a much bigger universe. That I was not the only 'superhero' out there. That there were many other people around with special and unique powers. Then he told me about the Avenger Initiative."

"The Avenger Initiative?" Violet now turned her attention back to Tony, very curious; she liked the sound of it. Her anger was fading; she was now feeling embarrassed at her outburst.

"A team that SHIELD wants to put together consisting of many individuals like you and me; a team of superheroes. A group that can be called upon to deal with the many threats and evils out there that regular or conventional means can't handle," Tony explained, glad the squabble was over.

Violet didn't know what floored her more, the fact that Tony was considering them to be superheroes, or that fact that there could possibly be many more people out there with strange and powerful abilities. This must be what the Witchblade had been showing her all this time in her dreams, and in the Periculum, Sara Pezzini had mentioned others to help her discover how to be a true hero. The Witchblade didn't want to go it alone anymore; it wanted to be part of a team. This Avenger Force was what it had been waiting for, and Tony Stark was part of it.

Fury jumped back into the conversation. "It is something that SHIELD, and those in the government that support us, have wanted to do for a long time. No one had really found a way to pull it off. Lack of money and leadership were the main obstacles. When Stark here went all genius on us and created the Iron Man armor, we saw our chance to build the team. He has the means to help fund the Initiative and organize it," he elaborated.

"And the best part is the recruiting," Tony said full of enthusiasm. "Do you remember the reports in the tabloids about the Green Hulk?" he asked Violet.

She had to rack her brain to try and get a reference to answer Tony's question. Tony loved the slight frown to her full lips and the crease in her brow as she thought hard. She was just downright sexy. She was even sexier when she was angry, at least when she wasn't angry at him, although he liked the fire in her when she was.

"Vaguely," Violet finally responded. "I have a faint recollection of stories about him terrorizing a college campus; I think."

"Bingo," Tony told her. "He's as real as you and I. He's the result of an experiment a Dr. Bruce Banner was conducting to see what the benefits of gamma radiation could have on a human being. He experimented on himself with actual gamma radiation, and it went terribly wrong. The result was the Hulk, as he's been nicknamed. Whenever Dr. Banner comes under extreme emotional distress, it triggers the beast that's now within his blood and DNA. He transforms into a huge brute that is extremely aggressive and strong. Banner has been on the run from the military, which he was doing the research for, and now SHIELD is interested in trying to channel all that brute strength into something positive. Banner has proven that if given enough time and resources he can find a way to control the Hulk, and the Hulk has proven that he too, can be quite the hero, when given the right incentives. I've been talking to General Ross, the man who has been trying to capture Banner. He has agreed to work with us to find Banner and offer him a place to start over."

Violet just stared wide-eyed at Tony. She didn't know what to say at first. "And now you're looking to recruit me. So, technically, I'm really your first real one," she said it as a statement.

"Besides Stark, yes, you're the first person we've been able to actually get in contact with," Fury admitted. "And that may not have happened if you hadn't fallen into Stark's lap. We're learning as we go. No one has ever tried to do this before; to my knowledge anyway. We didn't even know about the Witchblade until it found Sara Pezzini. Her law enforcement connections brought it to SHIELD's attention. Then the firestorm of events that led to you becoming its wielder made our agency really dig deep to find out more about the ancient weapon."

"You guys really think I qualify to be part of the Initiative?" Violet now asked, trying to come to terms with her doubts about herself.

"After what I saw you do at the Port of Los Angeles, almost a week ago now, I'd say hell yes," Tony said exuberantly.

"And after all the research SHIELD has done on the Witchblade, I'd have to agree with Stark on this one," Fury told her. "You fit the bill perfectly, and now that you've passed the Periculum you're that much more powerful; so I understand. I know the kinds of things you've been doing over the last year, Miss Devonshire: stopping serial killers, returning stolen art and rare cultural artifacts to their real owners, exposing corrupt corporate schemes, halting potential terrorist attacks, and rescuing little girls from the illegal slave trade, just to name a few. SHIELD has no doubts about you now."

Now it was Tony's turn to stare wide-eyed at Violet. And she didn't think she was a hero? _She is the very definition of it, _he thought to himself. "Wow," was all Tony managed to get out.

Violet was blushing furiously now. She hated any recognition for just doing what she thought was right. "They were all really little things, nothing of real global importance. I just couldn't stand by and watch people suffering when I knew that I could do something about it. I just had to act," she said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Well, now you actions can be of global importance if you'll join the team," Fury replied. He liked her humble attitude. It was a nice change of pace from Stark's, "Look at me, I'm Iron Man" attitude. "Will you, despite your obvious anger at us?"

"I will, and I'm sorry for my temper tantrum. I'm more angry at myself that your agency," Violet said, taking the next step in her destiny. "I do have one condition, however," she added.

"And what would that be, Miss Devonshire?" Fury queried, his curiosity piqued.

"I will not be subjected to any poking and prodding to find out what makes the Witchblade tick. I will not be a guinea pig or test subject. Any scientist that comes near me without my permission won't live to regret it. The Witchblade will not lend itself to study for _any_ reason." Violet's voice had taken on an otherworldly quality. It was more resounding, deeper, and more vibratory. The Witchblade seemed to be talking through her; their voices as one. It was really eerie to Tony, but alluring at the same time. He was very disappointed; he didn't think he'd be getting his sample to do his own research on the ancient artifact any time soon.

Fury seemed to have to shake himself; he too, was enthralled for a moment. "Kind of figured that would be the case," he said as if nothing had happened. "I don't think that will be a problem. Now, we want to have you work for us free and clear from your past."

"Oh, To-Stark's taken care of that," Violet said catching herself almost calling Tony by his first name. She was even thinking of him as Tony now, and not Stark. She was in trouble. "He somehow created a new identity for me. I'm Jamie Jones now."

Fury gave her a sour look. "Yes, it was thanks to a contact at SHIELD that he pulled that off. You're corrupting too many of my people, Stark. I should arrest your ass, you know that?" he directed this comment at Tony. When Tony just shrugged without concern, Fury turned back to Violet. "But a new identity won't be necessary. You're through running, Miss Devonshire. We'll completely expunge your record and give you your life back. Staying in Mr. Stark's employ should help legitimize you as well. We'll exonerate you and take care of any law enforcement problems. Between Stark and us, Kenneth Irons will not longer be able to affect your life. You won't have to look over your shoulder anymore. We can extend our protection to your little sister as well, if you wish."

Violet felt her mouth drop open at this offer from Fury. "What's the catch?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Just that when we call, you answer," was all Fury said, at first. "We want you to have as normal a life as possible, so you can fully concentrate on being part of the Avengers. And I feel we owe it to you," he added meaningfully.

Now Violet was speechless. She knew what Fury meant by owing her. He wanted to make up for the situation with her family. Had she really made him feel that guilty? Damn, now she really felt like an idiot.

"Violet?" Tony said trying to get her attention. When he had it, he deadpanned, "Now who's catching flies?" He then gave her one of his most dashing smiles.

She found herself starting to laugh. It was the first time she had really shown a reaction to one of his attempts at humor. He was wickedly sharp with his wit. Tony joined her in her laughter, loving that he had made her actually laugh out loud. She was starting to thaw, and he would find a way to turn up the heat to get it to continue.

Fury was lost at their sudden fit of laughter, but he was glad to see it. "Welcome aboard then, Miss Devonshire," he finally said as their giggles subsided a bit. "I will turn you over to Agent Coulson for further instructions, and you and Mr. Stark will give him a detailed account of what happened to you during the Periculum."

The Witchblade glowed bloody red at his demand, and it whispered all around the room. "That is not something that can be allowed, Director," Violet spoke in that ethereal voice again. "What happened during the Periculum is between the wielder and the blade only. And in this case, the wielder's chosen. She will not be allowed to reveal those circumstances and neither will the Iron Prince."

Fury was taken aback by the Witchblade's show of power. He knew better than to mess with the supernatural weapon, but he wasn't one to fold so easily. "Why the hell can't it be allowed?" he demanded. He could feel is otherworldly power as it rode over him at his demand. "Isn't important to understand what the wielder went through, if she's going to be part of our team?"

"Maybe someday, Director," Violet, now herself again, said very softly. "It's an extremely personal experience. I can't really put it into words, but it's not something I really feel I can share with anyone."

"I have to agree, Director," Tony piped up, for he didn't want to share his experience with anyone either. Violet was the only one, besides the Witchblade, that knew what he went through in Afghanistan. He hadn't been able to share it with Pepper or Rhodey, and they were his closest friends. Violet only knew because the Witchblade had forced the issue. Albeit, Tony was actually relieved to have someone else know the burden he carried; the pain he had endured.

"All right," Fury said reluctantly. "I'll let it go for now, _but_ eventually we need to learn about what happens during a Periculum. It is a vital part of the wielding of the ancient artifact. It is of historical and tactical value."

Fury was then silent a moment, trying to figure out what was meant by the wielder's chosen and title of the Iron Prince_. It must mean Stark. What is he to the Witchblade? _he wondered. Something told him he needed his researchers to do some more digging. If this wielder was going to hold back on them, they'd need more information from somewhere. After a few tense moments, he decided to speak again.

"So, if Stark's the 'Iron Prince', what does that make you, Miss Devonshire, the 'Iron Maiden'?"

Both Tony and Violet looked at him with bemused expressions. "You know that's kind of catchy, Director. I think that's what we should call her, Iron Maiden. So much better than Iron Woman or Iron Girl," Tony said being totally serious.

Violet just looked at him like he'd lost his mind. He grinned roguishly at her again. "Well, it's either that or 'Ultra Violet'. Take your pick, honey," he informed her mockingly.

That set all of them off, even Agent Coulson, who had been standing at the back of the room as a silent sentinel. The laughter again felt good to Violet. It had been way too long since she had been able to laugh and just enjoy other people's company; first with Pepper and now with these men. Things were finally looking up for her, but she couldn't help the uneasy feeling that her good fortune wouldn't last, for all good things tended to come to an end.

TBC

**Uh-oh, I'm foreshadowing something bad again aren't I? Please let me know what you think about the chapter, the humor, the characterizations, the plot, or anything else that sticks out to you as readers. I just would really appreciate the encouragement. Do people like this story or no? Oh, and Happy New Year's!!! Hope 2009 will be a good year for everyone!!!**


	14. Chapter 14: Payback

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own any of the rights to anything Iron Man, that right goes to Marvel Studios/Comics. I don't own any of the rights to anything dealing with the Witchblade that right goes to Top Cow Productions. The only thing I claim as mine is any original characters I created and the plot of this particular story. No copy right infringement is meant. This is for fun and not for money.**

**Rated T: For harsher language in a couple of spots.**

**A/N: This chapter kind of speaks for itself, so I'll let everyone get right to it. Please enjoy.**

**Thanks so much to AblatedCrayon, for making me revise this chapter, twice! LOL! It really turned out **_**way**_** better than it started out. All your technical advice is really appreciated. And many thanks go to RID3RLVR (Ari) for double-checking everything. You guys rock!!!**

**- Ladyhawke Legend**

* * *

**Chapter 14**

**Payback**

After the SHIELD agents left, things finally seemed to quiet down. Pepper had insisted that both Tony and Violet just rest. Both of them had been through a tough fight and needed to seriously regain their strength. Tony had agreed only when Pepper had scheduled his plane to leave New York two days later, so they could all head back to California. The weather in New York right now was miserable. _It's cloudy and rainy; very depressing_, Tony thought. He wanted to get back to the sunshine of Malibu, with clear skies and warmth. New York felt cold to Tony; he didn't like it.

The only disruption to their peace and quiet was a visit from Ms. Dandridge and Mr. Roth. They wanted to update Tony on their continued discussion with Jack Chambers, Vorschlag's Chief Financial Officer. He was the only one to stick around after Tony had fled with Violet in his arms; Irons and Nottingham left soon after Tony did. Chambers had willing talked things through with them and listened to every accusation they laid at his feet. In the end, he was adamant that he and a team of investigators be allowed to look into the charges before any actual lawsuits were filed by Tony. Vorschlag did have a right to find out what was going on inside their company and mount a defense, but Stark Industries could still file any lawsuit they wished at any time. It would be up to a court or judge to decide if the evidence made for a trial or not. Plus, there was the fact that the FBI and the NSA would be very concerned about the situation being a threat to national security.

"Is your lady friend all right?" Ms. Dandridge asked in her elegant way, after Tony instructed her to begin legal procedures, and to get the NSA involved in the investigation. He was going to after Vorschlag; Irons was going pay for his treachery. "Mr. Roth and I were really quite concerned when she collapsed so suddenly."

"She's fine now. She's a health food fanatic and was trying some new herb that didn't agree with her, or she was allergic too, or something," Tony had lied with a disaffected air. He thought it was a pretty creative on-the-spot lie.

Ms. Dandridge and Mr. Roth had gone back to their New York offices to do all the paper work and promised to see things through on their end with Vorschlag. They thanked Tony for bringing the grievous wrongdoings of a rival company to their attention. The Board of Directors was anxious to take action. Tony was relieved that they saw things his way, for once.

Now he could concentrate on Violet; well, he really couldn't concentrate on anything else. She had slept most of one day and so had he, but by the next they were both full of energy. Every time he consulted Jarvis to she what his lady thief was up to or when actually went looking for her, she was engaged in some activity or another. He caught her swimming in the enclosed pool he had built into the roof of the building, running on a tread mill in his exercise room, practicing tai chi in the same room, playing pool in his entertainment room, and reading some of the books he had in his library. It seemed like she was doing everything she could to stay busy and occupied. Pepper seemed to be a co-conspirator in keeping him busy with Stark Industries' business, which he knew he needed to do, but he and Violet hadn't spent much of the time together, like he'd wanted. He found himself trying to work in his workshop, but it wasn't the same as the Malibu one, and he kept getting distracted by thinking about Violet. He could usually lose himself in some project, but not right now.

Finally, he had had enough of having her around, but not with him. They would be on a plane back to Cali in the morning, and he wanted to take Violet out somewhere. Pepper was totally against the idea because how would they explain his night out with Jamie Jones, his bodyguard, when SHIELD would be clearing her come back as Violet Devonshire. The press had only run with the story of his bodyguard passing out during a business meeting for a day or so. Then it became old news, and they had moved on. No one really knew who she was, just a Stark employee. Pepper wanted to keep it that way.

_Fine, if I can't go out and drive away my boredom, then I'll confront Violet here in the apartment, and make her spend some time with me_, he finally decided with himself. He pounced on her when he found her in, of all places, his workshop, at a computer console. She was consulting with Jarvis about something; security programs, maybe. She was blaring Creedence Clearwater Revival through his custom installed sound system. He always worked better with music. It kept him from getting bored, and it was nice to have something going on in the background. He recognized the song as _Bad Moon Rising_; he approved of her choice of tunes. He smiled as he watched her move to the beat in her chair.

She was a picture of loveliness in a white top that had an uneven square neck because one side had a wide strap for a sleeve and the other side had and almost complete sleeve. It showed of her curves in an eye-catching way, in Tony's opinion. She also had on a pair of acid-washed colored jeans. She had left her thick mane of dark hair down again. Tony tried not to drool as he took all of her in.

If it had been Pepper interrupting him while hard at work, she would've turned down the music and announced her presence; annoying him to no end. Tony wouldn't do that to Violet; he was going to see if he could startle her. He thought that would be much more fun. "I'm glad to see you're taking your job seriously," he told her as he came up behind her without any warning.

She about jumped out of her chair at the sound of his voice. She had been so into whatever she was looking over that she hadn't noticed him come in. "Jarvis," she chided, "you should have told me Stark was around."

"Sorry, Miss Devonshire, but he comes and goes from here so often, that it didn't occur to me to announce him, and I thought you realized he was here," Jarvis said, seemingly very apologetic. Maybe he too, had been too immersed in the topic he and Violet were working on. Jarvis turned the music volume way down, but did not turn it totally off.

"Well, you know I'm here now," Tony said, grabbing a rolling chair at another console, turning it backwards and plunking himself down in it, his chest leaning into the back of the chair. He rolled it until he was right in front of his target: Violet. "If I didn't know better, Miss Devonshire, I'd swear you've been avoiding me for the past day and a half," he accused her.

"It's like I've got ADD or something," she replied, still looking at her computer screen. "I can't sit still. I've needed things to do. Pepper's been giving me some great suggestions to help me deal with it. I'm really not trying to mooch of you. I swear. That's why I'm trying to do some actual work right now." Then she finally turned around to face Tony.

Violet couldn't help but let herself look Tony over, at least briefly. He had on a gray MIT T-shirt and a pair of black jeans. He was barefoot she noticed. She could just make out the subtle glow of the mini arc reactor in the center of his chest. It again struck her how normal and down-to-earth he could seem. Sometimes it was easy to forget he was the CEO of one of the largest companies known to man. Violet tried not to stare at him too long or look him in the eye. He would pick up on the attraction that was burning through her and that she was fiercely trying to fight. She didn't want to encourage him in his continued pursuit of her; she just wasn't ready yet. _And what about Pepper? _Violet didn't want to hurt her either.

"Oh, Pepper has, has she?" Tony said suspiciously, catching on to the fact that Pepper was helping Violet avoid him.

Jarvis decided to throw his two cents in. "Miss Devonshire has been extremely helpful in detecting gaps and problem areas in the security programming, sir. She's improved not only systems here in New York, but those located in your various estates around the globe. I didn't realize how open the network was to hackers, until she pointed the weaknesses out and suggested ways to counteract them."

"You're serious?" Tony said, surprised there were any. He thought he had covered all the bases when he designed the programs and initiated them. Apparently, he'd been wrong; that didn't happen often, but then again, that was Violet's specialty. She'd made a career out of hacking security systems undetected and finding weaknesses when there weren't supposed to be any. Tony was suddenly glad she was on his side.

"Why wouldn't I be, sir?" Jarvis asked, not getting that Tony's question had been rhetorical.

"I'm glad that you and Miss Devonshire have things under control then," he said in jest. Then he turned back to Violet. "I have to admit that I'm sort of having the same issue as you; I'm going stir crazy. I was hoping you'd help me deal with it," he now spoke provocatively to her.

"What, you need a playmate?" Violet flung back at him, and then realized how it sounded. She had meant like a little kid needing a friend to play a game with, but Tony would take it as meaning something far more risqué.

His smile was full of mischief, and he had a wicked gleam in his eye. "Yes, I do," was his answer. "Will you play with me, Violet?" He now switched to her first name, rolling closer to her in his chair. It made her have to back hers up, but she ran into the console and couldn't go any further.

"I don't know, Stark," she responded cautiously. "It depends on what you want to play, and if you'll play nicely."

"Oh, I _always _play nicely, Violet," his words were dipping with innuendo now. "In fact, I put a lot of effort into having a good time. I bet you and I could find a very _athletic _way to burn off our excess energy."

Violet's heart was beating so hard that she thought it would explode in her chest. Her body was aching for him to touch her and make good on his words. She had to keep the genie in the bottle, because once it was out, she'd never get it back in. She was not ready to unleash her desires like that; fear was locking her up. Sweat broke out across her shoulder blades, and she felt it run down her back.

Instead of seeing Violet blush, Tony watched her pale before him. He noticed her white knuckle grip on her chair handles too. _Am I really pushing too hard? How can I get her past her fear? I know it isn't really me she's afraid of; it's how I might make her feel. Hell, the intensity of what I'm feeling is catching _me _off guard. _

Women had always been a source of pleasure for him, a source of entertainment and a distraction. But later, he never wanted to have a real conversation with them or find out more about them. He didn't want any attachments, just gratification and to build his ego. Violet made him feel so different; he wanted to wake up next to her, he wanted to know everything about her, and he wanted to converse with her. She was one of the only women he knew that might be able to keep up with his mind. He wanted her body, yes, but he also wanted her companionship. That thought blew him away when he pondered about it for a moment.

"How about we pop some popcorn and watch a movie on my behemoth HDTV flatscreen?" he decided to change tactics. "I'll even ask Pepper to join us, as a chaperon."

"I could go for that; I think," Violet replied slowly. "Something very lighthearted and totally unserious, but not romantic," she added the last part at the end very hastily.

"Okay, a comedy it is then," he agreed. "I'm thinking something like… _Ace Venture: Pet Detective_." He picked that one just to see what she would say.

"Yeah, that would be right up your alley wouldn't it, Stark?" Violet said, but she was smiling at him now; it was a beautiful sight to Tony. "It's totally mindless. Just what I need."

So, Tony had Pepper pop some popcorn, grab some sodas, and a bunch of other junk food type snacks, and they watched their movie. When Pepper had attempted to sit in the middle of him and Violet, Tony had protested. He wouldn't come on to Violet during the movie, but he had to at least sit by her. They munched and laughed, feeling much better about the world. It wasn't exactly what Tony had wanted, but anything to put Violet at ease was what he would do. He would melt her down with kindness, and then strike.

* * *

As soon Stark's Boeing business jet took off from LaGuardia Airport, Violet had an uneasy feeling. It was almost as if a sixth sense was warning her of danger, but she couldn't figure out what was causing it. The longer they were in the air, the stronger the feeling became. It took her a while to focus her attention on it though, because Tony kept distracting her. He had insisted that she go over all the security program upgrades she had made. Violet knew she should do so; they were his systems, and he needed to know what she had done or changed. But being so in such close quarters with him on the jet was starting to get to her.

Pepper had fallen asleep on one of the jet's plush couches; all of her lack of sleep finally catching up with her. She had tried to fight it off, but now that she felt they were safely on their way back to California, she had involuntarily relaxed. That was all it took. Tony was glad that his favorite employee was resting. She needed to take her own advice sometimes. He had caringly put a blanket over her and adjusted a pillow under her head. Happy and some of the other security personal were playing cards up at the front of the plane. That left Tony and Violet pretty much to themselves at the moment.

Tony smelled so good that his scent was enough to make Violet's palms sweat and her breaths shallow. He looked smashing too; the navy blue, pinstriped suit with a white dress shirt and matching navy blue, striped tie, made him a striking sight. Violet kept finding herself wanting run her hands through his dark, almost black hair. It was styled so it looked full and thick, and it was tempting her to touch it to no end. Then the uneasy feeling came back too strong to ignore or be easily dismissed.

Violet finally decided to let her mind slip into sync with the Witchblade's; together they could get a fix on what was wrong, Violet knew. They became one and saw what each other saw. The Witchblade pierced the veil of the senses and went searching time and space for the source of the threat they both were feeling. It then relayed what it found to Violet.

Suddenly, a man's face came into view, and thanks to the Witchblade, Violet knew his name as well as she knew her own; it was Rashid. He was tall, built thickly, with black hawk-like eyes, a sharp nose, a well-trimmed full beard, and short black hair. For a moment, Violet thought she was looking at a younger and hairy version of Raza; the man that had been the leader of the Ten Rings terrorist cell and that had taken Tony hostage in Afghanistan. Then the Witchblade made it clear that this man was not Raza, but his younger brother; and he wanted to kill Tony Stark. Rashid was under the impression that it was Tony's fault his brother was dead.

Violet was shocked, but relieved to learn this piece of information from the Witchblade; it was nice to know that Raza was no longer a threat. The ancient weapon revealed that Obadiah Stane had killed Raza and many of those that had been left of his group after the terrorist had presented Stane with remnants of Tony's first Iron Man suit. Stane had used and then backstabbed the terrorist leader to get what he wanted. It had been Stane's original plan to have Raza and his group assassinate Tony, but Raza had wanted to use Tony's genius for his own purposes.

Rashid had been contacted by Ian Nottingham, and Irons' bodyguard had spun a web of lies for the brother of Raza implicating Tony in his death. The web of lies had fired up the obsession within Rashid to want to kill Tony Stark at whatever the cost. Nottingham had promised a large payment to Rashid and any help he needed exact his revenge against Tony. The Witchblade made Violet understand that this equally evil and twisted terrorist leader had made it into the States undetected, and that some of his people were now ready and in position to blow the Boeing business jet out of the air.

Irons had allowed Rashid and his group access to a supply of prototype Lancer 17 electro-optical missiles right off of Stark Industries drawing board, thinking it ironic to have Stark taken out with his own creation. The Lancer 17 missiles were the latest in smart bomb technology. The seeker on the missile itself, which was like a scanner or detector, could scan for a designated target via optical imaging. Once a target was acquired, the missile would lock-on for the kill. The seeker could be programmed to target vital areas of an aircraft, like the cockpit. Electro-optics weren't dependent upon an aircraft's heat signature or laser designators from the ground, so they made the missile perfect for a plane to carry and use against another plane. The missile contained a warhead with several kilograms of high explosive material surrounded by metal that fragmented upon detonation. It was more than enough fire power to take out the Boeing business jet.

Rashid's men were rapidly closing in on Stark's plane at this very moment, and when they were in range they would fire the missile. Violet gasped violently at this revelation. She had to do something, had to stop it, or they were all dead.

Violet's sudden sound made Tony jump, and he almost dropped the pen his was holding in his hand. "What is it, Vi?" he asked, letting the nickname slip out. He figured the more he used it, the more she would just have to accept it from him. "What's wrong?" He saw the sheer terror in her eyes, and it scared the shit out him. Something was _really_ wrong.

"You've got to get the pilots to deviate off course and radio for help," she seemed to state out of the blue. "Now!" she yelled when Tony just stared at her.

"Could you tell me why?" he asked in surprise.

"Because there is another plane out there trying to get a lock on us with a Lancer electro-optical guided missile!" she shouted.

Tony felt like he had been punched in the gut. _What did she just say? _He must have heard her wrong. "That's not possible. The Lancer 17 missiles haven't gone into production yet," he told her. "Where are you getting this idea?"

The Witchblade answered his question, and it glowed ruby red and whispered all throughout the airplane cabin, but it was Violet who spoke. "Their blueprints were stolen," she informed him. "Irons had a whole stockpile produced and turned a number of them over to the brother of the terrorist who kidnapped you."

Now Tony felt like the whole world had tilted on its axis the wrong way. This couldn't be happening. _What has Irons done? Did I really underestimate the man's diabolicalness that badly? Doesn't Irons realize that he would be killing Violet too with this little stunt and probably destroy the Witchblade in the process? _Tony finally flew into action. He was out of his seat and up to the cockpit in the blink of an eye, for he knew the weapon they were up against; it was almost impossible to escape it.

He ordered the pilots to change course and to radio the nearest air traffic control tower. They were literally flying over the middle of the country, in the middle of nowhere. He told the pilots to try and track any other aircraft in the area on radar. Happy and his men tried to assist in anyway they could. Tony then flipped out his cell phone and dialed Lt. Colonel James Rhodes at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Maybe he could find a way to scramble some fighters out of the closest Air Force base to assist. Tony didn't know what else to do. Then he realized he was taking this all on Violet's word. _Is she really seeing these things, or is it all make-believe?_

"I've got a radar contact, Mr. Stark," one of the pilots then informed him. "A small, unidentified aircraft is approaching us from the southwest. It's vector is bringing it directly into our flight path."

"I can't raise ground control," the co-pilot spoke up. "They aren't answering. I know the signal's getting through, and I've even switched channels, twice. We are being received, but not getting any response."

An ice cold feeling spread down Tony's spine. _Could Irons have people on the inside of the nearest air traffic control facilities that would ignore their pleas for help or cut them off? _That thought actually made him a little sick. "Shit," he cursed. "I can't get a cell signal either. It just says 'No service'." Violet was right; something bad was brewing.

He wished fervently for his Iron Man suit. He hadn't brought it along on the trip to New York; he hadn't thought he would be needing it. Besides, how would he get into it without all his robotic friends anyway? They were going to die, and he couldn't do one damn thing about it. _How could I have been so stupid and careless? _It appeared he still had many lessons to learn. Irons had thought of everything it seemed.

Violet and a now very awake Pepper appeared at the cockpit door. "We can't call for help," he informed them bleakly. "I don't know how to stop this," he then confessed, feeling helpless and very vulnerable. He hated feeling like this; he wanted to fight back, do something.

"I do," Violet said softly, "but I don't think you're going to like my suggestion. I don't like my suggestion," she added. The Witchblade was telling her exactly what needed to be done, but Violet was terribly frightened by its idea. _How do I know it will work?_ No wielder had ever done what the Witchblade wanted Violet to do. It was going to take a great leap of faith on Violet's part; literally.

"Out with it, Vi, quickly," Tony said with desperation; any suggestion right now would be better than none, which is what he had.

"I and the Witchblade can go out there and take them out before they take us out," she said hurriedly.

Tony just stared at her. _What is she saying? How can she and the Witchblade go out there and deal with this. The Witchblade armor doesn't have boosters or thrusters to fly with, so what is it thinking? Plus, we're flying at about twenty-eight thousand feet; oxygen is thin up here, and it's freezing cold. How would Violet breathe and not freeze to death? _

"Say that again," he managed to say. Pepper had been shocked speechless as well.

"I told you I don't like the idea any better than you obviously do, but the Witchblade insists that it's the only way to live through this," Violet said with a shaky voice. "We've got to go out there and destroy the other plane."

"I don't think so," Tony said defiantly. "I'm not letting you go out there to fall to your death, suffocate, and turn into an icicle." That thought cut Tony to the bone. He was not going to lose Violet like that; not if he had anything to say about it. "You're talking suicide here, honey."

Pepper and the others didn't know how to react to any of this. They just stood there silent and aghast. Violet said, "The Witchblade promises me it will be fine. It will take care of me, if I have faith."

"That's a whole lot of faith and not much to go on," Tony tried to reason with her.

"It's protected me from bullets, explosives, fire, and other things that could have killed me," Violet tried to explain. "Why would it not protect me now?"

"Aren't you forgetting how it abandoned you and let you get shot at the pier?" Tony reminded her. "How do you know it won't get you out there and then leave you to die?"

"I remember that all too well, Tony," she replied. "I have to trust that it won't abandon me like that. I have to believe in it."

"No, absolutely not," Tony tried to be firm.

The pilot's voice broke into their argument. "The small plane is closing in on us, sir. I don't know what its exact firing range would be, but it's probably almost on us. If you're going to do something, it needs to be done now." Tony knew the range, and he knew the pilot was right.

At the pilot's words Violet was gone from the doorway, her mind made up. She would have to trust the Witchblade to make this possible. She headed for the access hatch down into the large jet's cargo hold. The main cabin was pressurized, so she couldn't just open the door and jump out. It would destabilized the whole plane and probably cause it to crash, but most cargo holds were not pressurized. It's why people usually want to put their can of hairspray in a zip-lock baggy. The air pressure in the cargo hold could sometimes cause the can to leak or explode all over the suitcase it was in. Violet would go down into the cargo hold and out of the wheel-well, where the landing gear came down. That way she could get off the plane without risking everyone else's life.

Tony seemed to read her mind. He followed after her, trying to stop her. He didn't catch up with her until she was almost to where the landing gear was stored. "Violet, stop!" he ordered her. "Don't do this, please!"

Violet turned to Tony with a sad smile. "I'm not going to let some fucking terrorist blow you out of the sky, Tony," she said adamantly.

Her vulgar language caused him to pause; she really must be pissed to talk like that. Then he said, "I appreciate the gesture, Violet; I really do, but I don't want you to do this. Don't do this for me; I don't deserve it."

"Yes, you do, Tony," she drew closer to him and reached up to stroke his cheek. "There is only one Tony Stark; one Iron Man. I'm only one wielder in a long line of many. Let me do this for you, and the others."

Tony thought his heart was going to shatter, his anguish was so great. Tears formed in his eyes before he could stop them. "No!" he whispered fiercely. "I won't let another person sacrifice their life for mine." Then with complete conviction he declared, "I'm not worth it, and I'm not going to let you be another Yinsen, Violet. I won't!"

Violet kissed him then; it was full of her true feelings for him. It told him she was in love with him too. It was bittersweet and everything he wanted. He gave himself over to it, letting it consume him in flame and fire. He drank her in with heavy passion, his arms drawing her in close to his body. Her arms slid around his waist and up his back, helping bring them closer still. The kiss continued until their lungs cried out for air, finally forcing them apart.

"I just found you, Violet. I'm not going to lose you," he told her firmly, but breathlessly.

"You won't, Tony," she said gently, allowing her forehead to touch his lovingly. "I owe you. You saved my life at the pier, remember. I need to pay you back. I have to save your life and the life of those you care about."

"I'll take you're payment another way," he tried to sound seductive, but failed even as the cocky, untouchable Tony Stark couldn't make light of the situation.

"I know you would, but this is the way it needs to be," Violet responded softly. "Let me save your life, Tony, please. I've got to get it right this time."

The way she said please, tore at his heart. She was so sincere, and he suddenly felt like it would be a huge mistake to not let her. He hated it; wanted to rave against it, but deep down he knew he had to let her do it. "Only if you promise to come back to me," he choked out.

"I promise," she said, and she meant it.

"I'm in love with you, Violet Devonshire," he suddenly blurted out. "I need you in my life. Who else is going to keep me on the right path to fulfill my destiny?"

"You don't need me for that, Tony," she whispered as she kissed his cheek. "You've got Pepper."

Her statement stunned him. _What did she mean by that? _Sure Pepper was like family to him, and at one time might have been more, but it was Violet he wanted as a companion; it was Violet that had touched his soul, he realized. "I need _you_," he said determinedly and held her tighter. He kissed her with reckless abandon, trying to prove that fact to her.

Violet kissed him back, fully opening herself to him for a moment. Then she pulled out of his arms. "I've got to go now, or it will be too late. Help me with the landing gear door," she requested of him.

Tony wanted to protest, but he found himself locating the manual controls and commanding the landing gear doors to open. He knew he had only a short time before what little oxygen was in the cargo hold would soon be gone, and the cold air would come flooding in. He prayed that the Witchblade would not fail Violet; that it would protect her. He wiped at the tears that were running down his face. _Why can't this be me? Why can't I be sacrificing myself instead of her? Why do all the good influences in my life not last?_

As the doors opened, Tony watched in amazement as the Witchblade came to life. First, it took the form of the metal glove and gauntlet. Its red ruby jeweled eye seemed to wink at him. Then the metal spread across Violet's entire body and covered it like a second skin, shredding her black, stylish bodyguard suit outfit. To Tony, the Witchblade armor, up close, looked like a shiny, white-silverish metal, but also almost like living scales. Whatever material it was composed of seemed to be part of Violet. He could also see traces of the tentacle-like substance that had restrained him and Violet throughout the armor. It hugged impossibly close to her body, showing off just how feminine and fit she was. The metal on her hands almost appeared sharp and claw-like. In the blink of an eye the armor no longer looked smooth, but jagged, as if covered in protruding knife-like edges. Her head was protected by the weird material too; part helmet, part tentacle material.

Tony had never seen anything as sexy and deadly as Violet appeared to him right then. She scared him to death and turned him on at the same time. She was magnificent; something out of a fantasy novel. Then she was gone; falling out of the plane and plummeting toward the ground miles below.

TBC

**I know; I'm a little stinker. I just like cliffhangers. Hope people liked this chapter. There is more to come, promise. :)**


	15. Chapter 15: Getting It Right

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own any of the rights to anything Iron Man, that right goes to Marvel Studios/Comics. I don't own any of the rights to anything dealing with the Witchblade that right goes to Top Cow Productions. The only thing I claim as mine is any original characters I created and the plot of this particular story. No copy right infringement is meant. This is for fun and not for money.**

**Rated T: For some violent imagery and mild language.**

**A/N: Okay, I had to find a way for Violet to build up some self-confidence and sort of admit that she has feelings for Tony. That's how this chapter came about. See what you think. I thought it turned out rather well. This chapter is also about having a little faith.**

**Thanks to AblatedCrayon for pointing out plot holes and factual inconsistencies. Thanks also to RID3RLVR (Ari) for looking the chapter over as well. You guys rock!!**

**Read and enjoy!!**

**-Ladyhawke Legend**

* * *

**Chapter 15**

**Getting It Right**

Violet felt herself fall and panic almost totally consumed her mind and body. She'd never been afraid of heights or had a sense of vertigo, but she hated the feeling of freefalling. It was the absolute worst feeling in the world for her. Knowing that she was miles above the ground and was falling at a high rate of speed to end up as a big splat was utterly horrifying. Violet screamed her terror with all her might, but the wind seemed to steal the sound right away. She couldn't breathe suddenly; she was going to lose her mind because of the all consuming fear she felt. She had trusted the Witchblade, and now, it was letting her plummet to her death.

She had so thought she was doing the right thing; that she could save the people on Tony's plane - save Tony. She was starting to care deeply about him; hell, she was in love with the multi-billionaire playboy. She didn't want him to die or any of those close to him. _Why is the Witchblade abandoning me again? What have I done wrong?_ Its armor still fully enclosed her, but it felt as if the extra weight of it was pulling her down that much faster.

Suddenly, Violet sensed a strange build up of the Witchblade's otherworldly energy, and its power coursed through her veins in a hot flash. The armor morphed and seemed to stretch. It felt like it was growing right out of her back. Then she stopped falling, hanging suspended in the air. She and the Witchblade blended into one another again. Her mind and its mind merging so she didn't know where it ended and she began; it was that complete. The way the air brushed her face had changed, and she heard a steady whooshing noise. Violet and the Witchblade essence looked to each side of themselves to see what was making the strange noise.

Large, spectacular, jeweled wings flapped from either side of her. They glittered and shone in the sunlight. The wings spread way out from Violet's body, each twice her size. Their basic structure reminded Violet of gigantic dragon wings. A dragon's wings were theoretically designed much like those of a bat's. The bones that ran through a bat's wing were very similar to a human hand, with four finger-like bones and a thumb connecting to an arm and elbow with a thin membrane stretched over them. Violet even felt like her anatomy in her back had changed to support these new structures. The wings were also metallic in nature, being part of the Witchblade armor, but they had the other traits of the Witchblade as well. The edges were sharp, yet delicate looking at the same time. The wings were almost see-through, but tough enough to deflect bullets and fire, just like the rest of the Witchblade armor.

Violet's panic vanished. She felt the raw power the Witchblade was feeding to her. Its abilities were hers to control; they _were _one. What Violet thought, it would do. Somewhere in the back of her mind she had been wishing for wings, and now, she had them. Violet's blue eyes were full of blue flame, glowing with a supernatural light. She flexed the wings and dove downward to glide and then soar up high again. It was the most incredible feeling of freedom and delight she'd ever experienced. _I'm flying!_ She tried speeding up, slowing down, and doing looped-dee-loops. Every movement was effortless. She wondered if this exhilaration was what Tony felt when he flew in his Iron Man suit.

She then remembered the danger he was in and what she needed to do. She reached out with the Witchblade's senses, searching for the plane that was going to attack the Boeing business jet. It didn't take long to locate it. It was right behind Tony's plane, trying to get a lock on it to fire its missile. The pilot of Tony's jet was attempting some type evasive maneuvers to prevent the missile lock, but he couldn't do much with a plane that big. It was too big, too long, and its wingspan was too long and not strong enough to support anything fancy like a military jet could do. The pilot was heading hard for the deck, trying to get lower to put some piece of tall landscape, like a mountain side, between them and the enemy, and to use gravity to help boost the aircraft's speed.

The plane that was chasing Tony's was not a military aircraft either; in fact, it looked like it was a G4 or G5 jet plane; that was a few steps down from the kind of plane Tony had. They were usually private company or personal planes that rock stars or businessmen flew around in. Someone had mutated this plane into one that could carry weapons and keep up with Tony's bigger and faster plane. She assumed the terrorists had used a non-military plane so they wouldn't set off any warning bells on the ground.

The wings beat faster and with great power, increasing her speed and maneuverability. It was like she knew exactly what to do; like she had been flying after enemy aircraft her whole life and shooting them out of the sky was second nature to her. This was new to the Witchblade too, however, because it could only remember having a wielder create wings a few times, and it had not been to fight advanced avionics. Violet started in fright as the terrorist controlled plane got a lock on the Boeing business jet and launched a Lancer 17 missile at it from under one of its wings. She had to stop that missile from reaching Tony's plane.

She felt white-hot energy surge through her again, and it pushed her fast than she ever thought possible. The Witchblade's second sight became hers; she could track the missile just like a pilot of a fighter jet could. She followed the Lancer 17 missile's path, swerving with it and arching as it arched. Just a little further and she'd be able to make her move on it, but she had to get to it before it hit Tony's plane.

The first thing she tried was to "distract" the missile, give it another target to go after instead of the Boeing business jet. When the missile failed to show any interest in her as a new target, she remembered its prototype technology. A Lancer 17 missile had an electric-optical targeting system, meaning it locked on to a very specific target and didn't deviate from that target. It would visually look for something like the cockpit or the main body of the plane and seek out its target. Violet couldn't be a "distraction" because the missile was not programmed to target her.

So Violet decided she needed to destroy the missile. She called forth as much of the Witchblade's supernatural power as she could; power from nature itself. She brought her hands and arms straight out in front of her, palms and fingers pressed tightly together. Channeling all of her heart and mind into the Witchblade, the ancient gauntlet even took energy from Violet's lifeforce, and erupted forth with blindingly white energy from her fingertips. The energy struck out with great destructive power, vaporizing the Lancer 17 missile seconds before it reached its target.

Violet breathed a deep sigh of relief; she had done it. She had stopped the assassin's bullet, so to speak. In her moment of triumph, she felt her flight go spinning out of control. The terrorist plane was not alone. A Lynx light utility/attack helicopter was firing its 20-mm machine gun cannons at her. It had been painted to look like it was just some rich executive's toy, not the hardened military aircraft it was. The terrorists were trying to maintain the illusion of not being anything out of the ordinary, like a military helicopter would be, and yet have something with muscle and teeth at their disposal. The Witchblade armor protected her from the massive bullets it was spraying, but the force of them hitting her knocked her through the air. She went pin-wheeling towards the ground.

This Lynx chopper was stripped down to have only a pilot and a gunner aboard. Its weapons had been limited too; machine gun cannons along with only one 70-mm rocket launcher, instead of the two it normally had and only two out of eight Tow missiles it usually carried. It had very little else on it to allow it more speed. It had been a totally gutted Lynx helicopter that had broken the speed record for the fastest speed ever achieved by a helicopter: 249 mph. So the thing could haul, but that still wasn't fast enough to keep up with the jet planes, but it didn't need to; it was supposed to be back in the rear keeping a look out. Plus, certain helicopters could only reach an altitude of about 20,000 feet. The terrorist plane had forced the Boeing business jet down from its cruising altitude of 28,000 feet, so the Lynx could lend a hand. The British made chopper was the perfect machine to hang back and protect the enemy plane while it was making its kill.

Violet willed herself under control and began to ascend upward again. Now the Lynx had Violet's attention, and the pilot would not live long enough to regret attacking her. She swooped and barreled around it before he could react, coming up behind the Lynx, targeting it with the Witchblade's help. Then she blasted it with the white energy that again erupted from her fingertips as she brought her hand and arms together again in an arrow formation. The helicopter was a white ball of flame, and then it was gone. It had distracted Violet long enough though, that the terrorist plane had now been able to close in and lock on once again to Tony's. She watched in heart-stopping dread as it let loose the second Lancer 17 missile it had attached underneath its other wing.

She had mere seconds to reach it before everyone aboard the Boeing business jet were obliterated. Violet spread her wings wide and pumped them hard, but she knew she was not going to get there in time. "NO!!!" she screamed in pure rage and fear. Her mind called out for more time, and suddenly time around her seemed to warp and slow. She didn't slow down, her speed increased and continued onward, but everything else around her came to almost a halt.

Somehow, Violet pulled ahead of the missile and banked to turn around and face it head on. Just as she got into position to release her energy burst, time appeared to warp again and resume its normal movement. The Lancer 17 missile was ready for impact, but Violet blasted it with the Witchblade's powerful beams of energy. The missile vaporized once again, leaving Tony's plane untouched, but roughly shaken. Violet let out another breath she'd been holding.

Now it was time to take out the source of the problem, the terrorist plane itself. They would pay of this outrage; justice would find them this day. She would not let them get away with this vicious attack. Violet changed course to bring her along side of the enemy plane as it now tried to flee the area; it didn't get very far. Using the Witchblade's enhanced senses she got a mark on the retreating aircraft. One last time, Violet unleashed the volatile power of destruction she literally had at her fingertips. The energy flashed forward and consumed the smaller plane, eating away at it, burning each part it touched instantly. After it became a fiery ball of white flame, it was no more.

Violet had done it; she had saved those she loved and cared for. She hadn't failed them this time. She reveled in her victory and finally felt like she had gotten it right. She flew through the air with amazing grace, speed, and agility, twisting, banking, flying in spirals and loops. She finally felt like a hero.

* * *

Pepper found Tony down in the cargo hold, near where the landing gear was stored and where it was allowed to come out of the plane to land it safely. He was still standing near the open landing gear doors as if in a trance. He was turning blue from the cold and the thinning of the oxygen level. When she tried to get him to move away and close the door, he just stood there immovable and out of it. He didn't respond to her in anyway; not her voice or her touch. He had shut down.

All he could think about was Violet as she let herself fall out of the plane. He had watched in heart-crushing horror as she fell until she disappeared from sight. Tony thought she was dead. He couldn't move, couldn't think, and couldn't breathe. She was gone, just like that. _Why did I let her do that? What didn't I stop her? What's wrong with me?_ He blamed himself for her death; he hated himself for being such a coward. _Why did she do that? Why did she do that for me?_

Pepper yelled for Happy to help her with Tony. If he stayed here with the door open much longer it would kill him. Happy Hogan appeared beside her in recorded time. He was a large fellow and could manhandle Tony fairly easily. He found the manual controls for the doors and got them to close. Then he forced Tony away from them and back into the interior of the cargo hold.

"Get me some blankets," he ordered Pepper. "We need to get him warmed up. We might need to put an oxygen mask on him for awhile too. I don't like his color." Pepper raced back up through hatch and back up into the main cabin after the items Happy had asked for.

"Mr. Stark, can you hear me, sir?" Happy asked as he forced Tony to sit on a pile of luggage. "What happened? Where's Miss Devonshire?" He tried to get a reaction out of his boss.

At the mention of Violet's name, Tony came back to himself, at least a little bit. He finally focused on Happy's face. "Mr. Stark, tell me what happened?" Happy asked again with more urgency when he saw he had Tony's attention. "Where's Violet?"

"She's…she's…she's gone," Tony stuttered. He was starting to shake, feeling the cold for the first time.

"Where'd she go, sir?" Happy questioned, though he thought he had a pretty good idea; she'd jumped out of the plane.

Tony looked at him with panic-stricken eyes and said rather hysterically, "She threw herself out of the plane, Happy! And I allowed her to! I let her die! Oh my God, what have I done?!"

"Calm down, sir," Happy said, trying to sooth him. "Let's get you back up above, and then we'll figure this out."

Tony went totally limp and unresponsive again, as Happy bodily picked him up and carried him down the cargo hold to the hatchway. His two men where standing there at the top, and the three of them got Tony up and through the hatchway. Pepper instantly wrapped her boss in a thick, flannel blanket she had found. Once they got him to the couch, she tried to place an oxygen mask around his head, but he fought her.

"Violet's gone!" he cried in gut-wrenching anguish. He tried to get up off the couch, but his limbs wouldn't work properly. Pepper grabbed his wrists and tried to get him to focus on her.

"He doesn't know does he?" Pepper asked of Happy.

"No, he doesn't," Happy replied.

The plane rocked violently as explosions went off outside of it. They should have all been wearing their seatbelts, but getting Tony out of the cargo hold had been the top priority. Pepper was just glad he hadn't fall out himself with all the tilting movements the pilots were doing with the plane, trying to stay away from the enemy on their tail. Now Pepper fell on top of Tony, and Happy and his men were thrown into some of the aircrafts seats.

"Tony, we're under attack," Pepper told him, as she righted herself. She cursed her body silently as it temporarily betrayed her, liking the feel of Tony's close to hers. Then she reined herself back in quickly using her gift of professionalism. "There's another plane out there trying to blow us out of the sky. Do you remember that?"

Tony wasn't listening to her; he didn't care. Violet was gone; she was dead. He wanted to join her. The pilot's voice over the intercom system interrupted his slip into madness. "There's something out there fighting the bad guys off," the pilot said in disbelief. "I don't know what it is, but it's saving our bacon!"

"What did he just say?" Tony finally spoke a coherent thought.

Pepper seized on it to get him to come all the way back. "I think Violet's out there using the Witchblade to save our lives, Tony," she informed him.

"You mean it didn't let her fall to her death?" he asked perplexed.

"It doesn't appear to have," Pepper replied, trying to be reassuring. Truth was, she wasn't sure what the hell was going on, but it sounded like a good thing to say.

The plane shook and rocked hard again, worse this time; like the explosions were closer. Happy and his men ended up on the floor, and Tony was pitched off the couch, landing on top of Pepper on the floor as well. It took a minute for them all to untangle themselves. Pepper's body again liked the contact with Tony's, but his mind was clearly elsewhere, and she knew hers had to be too.

The pilot updated them on the latest event. "Whatever is out there just destroyed another missile coming at us. I think it got the other plane too. It's gone off the radar screen. We're gonna be okay!" He sounded very excited and very relieved.

Tony latched on to what that might mean. "Do you think Violet saved us? Do think that, that was her?" he addressed Pepper as she settled him on the couch again and got the blanket around him once more.

"Yes, Tony, I do," she said honestly. She didn't know what to believe, but something had saved them.

"Mr. Stark, look out the window!" one of Happy's big, burly men exclaimed. "I think you'll like what you see, although, I don't know if you'll believe your eyes."

Tony got up off the couch again, his blanket forgotten. He swiftly went to the other side of the plane and looked out one of the small porthole-type windows. Then he saw her, at least he thought he did. It was Violet, still fully in the Witchblade armor, and with wings! She had freakin' wings!! She was flying just out and above the wing of the Boeing business jet. How she was keeping up, he had no idea. It was the most elegant sight he had ever seen. The Witchblade hadn't let her fall; it had protected her, and she had succeeded in saving their lives. He blinked over and over, trying to keep her in sight, but the little window didn't make it easy. Feelings of joy, relief, ecstasy, appreciation, gratitude, and peace settled over him.

_Oh, ye of little faith, _the Witchblade's voice seemed to fill his head. _Now is not your time, Iron Prince. You need to trust me as much as Violet does._ Then it was gone. Tony shook his head. The damn thing was trying to teach another lesson. He was frankly getting a little sick and tired of them, but Violet was okay, and that was all that matter right then. He suddenly felt really woozy. His vision became fuzzy, and he felt himself fall backward. The last thing he remembered was Pepper calling out his name as he passed out.

* * *

Lt. Colonel James Rhodes had been the first thing Tony saw when he came fully to. He was in his bed in his Malibu mansion, safe and sound. He vaguely recalled a doctor's presence, checking him over, giving him an IV, and consulting with Pepper for a short period. He thought he had heard the doctor say he had mild hypothermia and was suffering from brief asphyxia, but no permanent damage had been done to him. Rhodey's relieved look turned into an aggravated one.

"Can't you stay outta trouble for more than two seconds, Tone?" he asked with a shake of his head. Rhodey looked cross, but his voice was light.

"Apparently not," Tony found himself saying rather groggily. Once the events of the plane incident came back to him, he was pissed, however. "How in the hell did a terrorist get into American airspace, Rhodes?! That's not supposed to happen. Is the Air Force and Homeland Security asleep at the wheel again!?"

"That's not fair, Tony," Rhodey responded defensively. "It wasn't a commercial airliner this time, and your terrorists had a lot of help. Somebody very well-connected helped them avoid detection. Any idea who?" he then asked.

It took Tony less than a second to answer. "Try Kenneth Irons on for size," he growled.

"Stark Industries biggest competitor? Do you think they'd really stoop that low? Can you prove your accusation?" Rhodey said dubiously.

"No, I don't have any physical proof, but I know it was that bastard Irons," Tony ground out. "I have plenty of proof against his company for stealing and selling Stark Industry weapons and technology on the black market, however. In fact, that's why I was flying back from New York in the first place. I'd just gotten done meeting with Irons about it and getting the Board of Directors to take legal action against Vorschlag."

"What am I missing here?" Rhodey queried, clearly puzzled.

Tony told him all about Violet Devonshire, the Witchblade, Kenneth Irons, and the trip to New York. If the situation hadn't been so genuinely terrifying to Tony, he would have laughed at the look on Rhodey's face. The colonel looked like his eyes were going to bug out of his head, and he kept blinking rapidly at Tony. He opened and closed his mouth several times, looking like a fish out of water. If Rhodey didn't know Tony as well as he did, he might think this was a prank that Tony was playing on him, but he could tell that his friend was deadly serious.

"And Violet has agreed to work with SHIELD too," Tony said, finishing up his tale. "Speaking of which, where is the little minx? I have a few words for her." On one hand he loved her dearly for saving him and everyone else on his plane, but on the other he was really ticked at her for risking her life like that. The Witchblade was just full of surprises it seemed.

"You're telling me, that the burglar woman you caught stealing from Hugh Hefner, is some supernatural warrior woman who saved your life from terrorists trying to blow you into a million little pieces?" Rhodey asked incredulously.

"Didn't I just get done explaining all that, Rhodes?" Tony now asked a little disgusted. Then he said glibly, "And people say I don't listen when people talk to me."

Rhodey gave him an exasperated glare. "I heard every word you said, Tone. I'm just having a hard time believing it."

"Well, it's all true," Tony told him and looked his friend in the eye. "Every damn word of it. Now, where is the damsel who saved me in my distress?" he demanded to know.

Pepper appeared from behind Rhodey; she had just gotten off the phone. She had been giving a full report to Agent Coulson of SHIELD. He was launching an investigation into the terrorist attack and who was behind it. He and his agency really wanted to know how the terrorists were able to carry this diabolical plan out; it had just become their number one, top priority. It was comforting for Pepper to know that they had someone like him on their side. He was very good at what he did – getting answers.

"She's sleeping like the dead in one of the guest rooms," Pepper answered for Rhodey. "She flew the rest of the way across the country with us. Don't ask me how; I'm still trying to figure that one out. When she landed at the airport with us and the Witchblade deactivated, she was completely spent. Apparently, all the magic she worked came at a big cost to her physically."

"Is she all right?" Tony tried not to panic as he asked.

"She fine, Mr. Stark," Pepper said reassuringly, "just really, really tired. And you too, are under doctor's orders to rest and not exert yourself for at least another day. You're lucky that your exposure didn't cause any permanent brain damage or anything."

"Would we be able to tell any difference if it had?" Rhodey couldn't resist that chance to make fun of his friend. It was just too tempting.

"Hey!" Tony exclaimed. "That was just rude, Rhodes, just plain rude."

"Then start using that head of yours in the right way," Rhodey said, laughing with Pepper. "And let all of us breathe a little easier."

* * *

Tony was trying to have a very pleasant dream. He was with Violet, and he was giving her a reward for saving his life – well, the reward had to do more _with _him than being _from_ him. Just at things were getting good and Tony was thoroughly enjoying himself, the dream changed. It was like the moon moved in front of the sun during an eclipse. Everything that had been bright and vivid was now dark and murky. Violet was snatched out of his arms by a huge metal hand; a hand Tony recognized as cold dread ran down his spine.

"You shouldn't have gotten Violet involved in this, Tony," the voice of Obadiah Stane spoke out of the darkness, like a ghost from the grave. Tony thought his heart had stopped, his fear was so great. "I'm going to have to kill her now."

The giant hand started to squeeze her, crushing her helpless form. She screamed in bloodcurdling pain. Tony thought he heard bones snap, and it made him sick to his stomach. He couldn't move to come to her aid, for Obadiah had him in his other enormous metal hand. "It's your turn next," he told Tony ominously.

Obadiah's image swam in front of him. He then saw Irons running Pepper through with what looked like the Witchblade in sword form. "It's seems you can't keep any of your women alive, Stark," Irons said cruelly, but very politely. "What a pity." Tony tried to choke out a retort, but he had no voice; no sound came out of his mouth. The vision swam again.

Raza and his insurgent followers kicked him and beat him with their fists. Tony felt his ribs break and tasted blood in his mouth from a broken noise. The pain had him seeing white spots, and he had drawn himself into a fetal position. "Look at you, the Great Tony Stark," Raza hissed at him. "Not so great anymore, are you?" he questioned, pointing one of Tony's own guns at him. "You are nothing; you've failed, Iron Man." Tony waited for the shot to come. He had never felt such hopelessness; he knew this was the end.

"Stark, wake up!" a frantic feminine voice commanded him. "You're having a nightmare."

The shot never came; Raza's image broke, like the cracking of a mirror, shattering all around him. Then he saw Violet's sweet face, felt her warm and soft hands shaking his shoulders, and heard her angelic voice. "Violet?" he managed to get out; a little confused.

"Yeah, it's me, Stark," she told him. "That must have been one hell of a dream. I could hear you yelling all the way down the hall. Jarvis woke me and asked me to check on you, but I think I would have woken up from just the volume of your voice. You okay?" she asked with heart-felt concern.

Tony was shaking, and he didn't even realize it. He noticed he was covered in a fine sheen of sweat. He was bare-chested, forgoing a shirt and sleeping only in pajama bottoms. His breathing was kind of erratic as well. The first thing his sleep fogged mind caused him to do was to recoil and pull away from Violet. He was the reason she was being killed in his dream; staying away from her would be the only way to keep her alive.

Violet was startled by his reaction to her touch. _What the hell? _she thought. _Am I fully of static electricity or what? _"Stark, what's wrong?" she demanded as she tried to get him to settle down.

As Tony fully became aware of his surroundings, and the fact that he was safe in his bed,he caught a whiff of Violet. Her sweet jasmine scent chased the lingering demons away. He looked into her concerned and deep blue eyes; they were so beautiful, so full of light. They calmed him. _Why is she calling me Stark again? What happened to Tony?_

"Like you said, I just had one hell of a nightmare. I'm fine now," he stated, feeling at little more rational. "How come Jarvis picked on you to check on me? Why not Pepper? It's kind of her job to make sure I'm okay," he then tried to joke.

If his question bothered her, she gave no sign that it did. "As your new bodyguard or security personnel, it's my job as well. I told Pepper to go home and take a break from all of the stress the last few days have brought, so you're stuck with me. She really needs to just get away from it for a little bit. All this is hard on her, you know?"

"Yeah, I guess it is," he admitted. He now had a slight understanding of how Pepper probably felt each time he got in his Iron Man suit and went up against the bad guys. He had freaked and clammed up when he thought something had happened to Violet. Pepper must have to deal with those heart-aching feelings all the time. What an ass he'd been for so long! He really should be more considerate of how his actions affected other people. He caused a lot of unnecessary pain.

"Well, it seems like you're still alive, so I'm going back to bed," Violet said hurriedly and went to leave. "Good night, Stark." Touching Tony's bare arms and shoulders had made her warm all over. He had nice, thick, muscular arms; his bare chest wasn't a bad sight either, mini arc reactor and all.

"Wait!" he cried. "Please don't go yet." Violet was shocked at how really panicked he sounded.

"I'm really tired, Stark," she grumbled, but only half-heartedly. The woman in her was appreciating Tony's very masculine form, and it scared her just how strongly she was reacting to him.

He grabbed her hand. "Stay," he whispered. "I don't want to be alone right now." He actually gulped.

Violet thought he looked like a lost little boy suddenly. His face was somewhat ashen, and he was shaking again. She couldn't resist the sad picture he made. Something in her wanted to comfort him, chase the monsters away; hell, she had needed someone to do that for her many a long night. She sighed wearily, for his benefit, and sat down on the edge of his bed.

'That's too far away, Vi," he complained. "Come closer." He patted a spot on the bed beside him.

She rolled her eyes at him. "I'm not falling for it, Stark," she confronted him.

"Please, Violet, I just need to know I'm not alone," he begged, looking like that lost and lonely little boy again.

Violet sighed again and climbed into the bed and sat on his left side. As soon as she was beside him, he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tightly, and letting his head rest on her shoulder. His actions had caused them to go from a sitting position to lying down on the bed. It was like he was using her for a life raft. It wasn't sexual, just full of need; the need to be comforted. She hesitantly put her arms around him, hugging him. "It's okay, Tony, I'm here," she found herself cooing to him.

The earlier temptation she had had to run her hands through his dark hair reasserted itself as he lay on her shoulder. She gave into it this time, letting herself caress its fullness. She started at his scalp and trailed her fingers all the way down to the ends. She repeated the motion over and over again, enjoying the feel of his thick hair. He smelled like soap and shampoo; fresh and clean. His breathing had become slower and steadier with her petting actions.

"That feels so good, Vi," he muttered sleepily. "Please stay, at least until I fall asleep," he pleaded. She was back to using Tony again; that made him relax all the more.

"As long as you behave yourself, I'll stay," she agreed, resigning herself to her nurturing role. Part of her loved feeling his nice warm body next to hers. She was wearing the short and revealing cream nightgown she had worn when she first woken up in Tony's care in. She didn't know what had prompted her to want to wear it when she had prepared for bed and then crashed, but she had followed the prompt. Where his bare skin touched hers it felt wonderful.

"You have my word of honor that I'll behave," he promised. "Just don't leave me."

Violet took the meaning of his words two ways: one, he needed her presence to go back to sleep, and two, he wanted her to stay in his life. Suddenly, that didn't seem so scary anymore. A lot of her fear had evaporated when she had succeeded at saving the people aboard his plane, but not all of it. She _was_ falling in love with Tony Stark, despite all her efforts not to. Now he was in her arms, seeking comfort, not sex. She smiled to herself realizing that both of them had come a long way. This felt so right and so good, like she was finally home.

"I won't leave you, Tony. I promise," she reassured him.

In moments she heard him snoring softly, falling asleep almost instantly within her embrace. This was the most ironic situation she could think of; she had ended up in Tony Stark's bed again, with him, but all they were doing was drifting off to sleep. It didn't take her long to follow suit, and she too, was swept away into a peaceful, dreamless, rest.

TBC

**I thought I'd give this chapter a softer ending. And how many people think once Tony wakes up in Violet's arms he will continue to behave himself? You'll just have to wait and see. :) Let me know what you thought about this chapter. There's still more to come.**


	16. Chapter 16: Yin and Yang

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own any of the rights to anything Iron Man, that right goes to Marvel Studios/Comics. I don't own any of the rights to anything dealing with the Witchblade that right goes to Top Cow Productions. The only thing I claim as mine is any original characters I created and the plot of this particular story. No copy right infringement is meant. This is for fun and not for money.**

**Rated T: For heavy romantic situations and language**

**A/N: I just couldn't keep Tony and Violet apart any longer. I tried to make their interactions fun, entertaining, and romantic. I describe enough to give readers a good feel for what is happening, but I always have a line that I don't cross; I leave the bulk of the situation up to my readers' imaginations. I also tried to have Pepper in this chapter a little more and attempted to delve into her mindset a little bit. I hope I was true to her character; that was my intention, but…you know. Have a good read, and if you feel like it let me know what you think.**

**Thanks go to AblatedCrayon for yet another great beta. He keeps me real and grounded, and very entertained by his comments. Thanks also to RID3RLVR (Ari) for being another set of eyes for me and for her gracious encouragement.**

**- Ladyhawke Legend**

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**Chapter 16**

**Yin and Yang**

Violet was awakened by a very warm and tickling sensation. Her body was responding to it much faster than her mind was; she was tingling with exhilaration. She tried to comprehend where she was and what was happening. She had been sleeping so soundly, that it took a minute for her to fully register what was going on. Willing herself to surface from the depths of sleep, she opened her eyes to find Tony nuzzling her neck and shoulder with his lips. Once he saw the sea-soft blue of her eyes, his lips made their way to hers. The kiss was soft and feather light at first, and then it increased in pressure and strength. Before she knew it, she was fully returning it, tasting all of Tony's mouth.

Her sense of touch then let her know that one of his hands rested on one of her upper thighs, thumbing stroking the muscle and skin there gently. His other hand was playing with one of the thin straps of her nightgown, threatening to slide it off her shoulder. Each place he touched her set that part of her on fire. His motions and the pressure with which he applied them were perfect to begin to send her into a pleasure-filled haze. She needed to stop this now or she would end up letting him score a homerun.

Squirming back away from him along the side of the bed, she tried to speak without her voice shaking. "I thought you said if I stayed, you'd behave yourself, Stark," she chastised him. "You gave me your word of honor, remember?" She was trying to guilt trip him into stopping his pleasant and titillating ministrations.

"I didn't forget about that promise," he said slyly, a hungry look in his eyes, "but that was last night. Today is a _whole other_ story, honey."

"Today? How do you know that it's not night anymore?" she wanted to know. Tony's bedroom still seemed fairly dark to her.

"Jarvis," Tony commanded suddenly. "Reduce the window tinting by seventy-five degrees, please." He hadn't stopped touching Violet as he spoke, even though she had tried to move away; he still had a good grip on her thigh.

Jarvis' answer was instantaneous. "Certainly, sir." As the darkening effect of the windows was gradually taken away, Violet beheld a beautiful blue sky, bright sun, and sparkling sea out of the windows.

"That's not fair, Tony," she complained quietly. "Promises shouldn't come with expiration dates." She was trying not to sigh in contentment, as Tony's hand remain on her upper thigh, continuing to massage its muscles and caress its skin; it felt so nice. He was definitely making an impression throughout her body with his warm touch.

He shook his head and laughed softly. "I have to say, Violet that I get the biggest kick out of the way you express yourself. I'm just trying to show you my deep appreciation for saving my life. You're my warrior goddess and need to be worshipped as such," he said seductively. "Let me worship you, Vi." Tony then drew her back toward him and the middle of the bed, sliding his body heavily on top of hers. A moan slipped out of her softly now; he felt so damn good — masculine and strong. The Witchblade hummed its power through her again, increasing each sensation at least twenty times or more; Tony felt it too.

Violet was on the brink of losing control, and she desperately fought to hang on to what control she thought she had; his words were really doing a number to soften her heart. Tony almost had her, but not quite. "I'm glad you're grateful, and I'm flattered that you think so highly of me. I don't think I've ever heard a man say anything like that to me before, but you need to stop what you're trying to do. I can't let it happen," she wanted to sound firm, but it came out very weakly. Her breathing was more rapid now as her heart fluttered in her chest.

"You can't or you won't?" Tony asked of her tenderly, trying to look in her eyes for an honest answer. When she wouldn't look at him, he used one of his hands to cup her face and make her meet his eyes. His other hand still hadn't left her thigh. He retrained a solid grip and continued to rub oh-so-slowly in a circular motion. He sensed now was the time move in for the kill. Violet's body told him that her heart wasn't in her words. "Tell me you don't want me and I'll stop," he suddenly offered. Somehow he knew she wouldn't tell him that.

Violet wanted him and wanted him very badly. She'd wanted him from the moment he'd kissed her in Hugh Hefner's awards room. She more than wanted him; she cared about him — loved him, even. He had taken her in, given her a place to start over, suffered with her and for her, and he _was_ a good man. She couldn't bring herself to tell him that she didn't want him; it would be a lie. She was sick of hiding, sick of being afraid, and sick of not getting what she wanted. She decided to tell him the truth; she feared betrayal and abandonment. It was time to take the risk.

"I'm just afraid that you won't be around afterward," she whispered. "I want you so badly it hurts, Tony, because I'm falling in love with you."

"And I with you. So you shall have me, my warrior goddess," Tony told her with one of his roguish grins, "because there's no chance of me leaving you; I'm here to stay. I'm learning what love really is through you. I don't feel whole without you."

He meant all he said, too; this was one woman he did not want to run away from, ever. She filled a void in him that he hadn't even realized existed until she had started to fill it. She _was _his perfect match, just like the Witchblade had said. She was the Yin to his Yang, or visa versa. She was the female equivalent to him, or he was the male equivalent to her. They were opposite sides of the same coin and needed to become one to be complete. They belonged together; they had things to accomplish together that they couldn't do so separately.

Violet stared at him for a long moment, seeing a genuine sincerity in the brown depths of his eyes. He kissed her lips, down her chin, and down her neck with a perfect knack to drive her crazy. She then felt him slide the nightgown's shoulders straps down her arms, as he kissed along her right shoulder and collar bone. She finally stopped resisting and let herself shiver in ecstasy, arching into him. Tony groaned at how fully she was pressed into him. He found her lips with his again, feasting on her sweet taste.

"I can tell I'm in for one hell of a ride," she said huskily in his ear when she could speak again as her hands caressed his back and neck. Tony was so warm and so alive. Her hands eventually found their way to his chest as well. She could feel his strength under her fingertips. The Witchblade trailed its power along the path her hands followed, and Tony's mini arc reactor seemed to glow brighter. His hands were busy sliding along her skin too.

Tony again felt himself chuckle at her words. Leave it to her to go back to an earlier come on she had retorted with in answer to one of his own. _God, I love this woman, and I will give her one hell of a ride! _"Please keep your hands and feet inside the car at all times, and wait until the ride comes to a complete stop before trying to exit," he joked as he lavished her with his affection. "Hang on tight and enjoy the ride. You won't be disappointed." His last comment made Violet laugh and the last of her walls came tumbling down, as she accepted the pleasure he was happily providing. Violet let go and gave into him completely; she wanted this now. This was one thrill ride she had been waiting ages to take.

* * *

Kenneth Irons was sitting in a soft, comfy, old armchair in one of his mansion's living rooms. No fire burned in the fireplace this morning. Irons had decided not to go into the office at Vorschlag Industries yet, until he had found a way to deal with the mess Nottingham had brought to him late last night. His rage and anger were enough of a fire to burn the entire house down. Rashid had totally overstepped his bounds and jeopardized everything. Not only had he almost killed Violet Devonshire and destroyed the Witchblade by blowing it into a million pieces, he'd left a breadcrumb trail straight back to Vorschlag. Nottingham was doing his best, working with some associates, to sanitize the situation.

Irons couldn't believe the terrorist leader had been so bold and so uncontrollable. His obsession to kill Tony Stark and reap his revenge for his dead brother had consumed him beyond all reason. He was reckless, thoughtless, and foolish. Irons had badly miscalculated his usefulness and just how obsessed the man would become. _How could Rashid make an attack like that in American airspace with a prototype Stark Industries missile? _True, Irons had sold him a pile of them, but not to be used here in America. Rashid was to have lured Tony away into his own country and kill him there, or in Europe or Africa, but not in Irons' backyard. That was stupid; there was no other way to look at it.

Through his connection to the Witchblade he saw what Violet had done, and it astonished him to no end. He knew the ancient weapon was powerful, but this was the first time he'd ever experienced it used that way. Violet and it were so completely one that she could call upon its most secret powers. Its most mystical and magical powers derived from nature itself, from the power of womanhood itself; the power to create and carry life.

It had filled him with so much elation and euphoria that he hadn't known what to do with himself. It was a high like no other he'd ever experienced. The only experience that could top it was the moment he put the Witchblade on and tried to wear it. He had to have Violet now; he had to keep having these experiences and find a way to channel all that power into himself. She had actually grown wings and flew; that was utterly amazing. This wielder was something very special, and he would make her his if it was the last thing he did.

A warm and tingling sensation started to build in his stomach and spread to his loins, suddenly. It caused him to groan and arch in his chair. Irons knew that Violet was having a very intimate moment, as if he were having it with her. Oh, it felt so damn good; better than he remembered his first time with her. Then the reality of what was happening fell on him as if the roof had collapsed on top of him. She was with Stark! The bastard had finally won her over and broken through the wall of her fears that Irons had worked so hard to build around her.

Irons became so infuriated that he was red-faced and threatening to have a stroke._ This cannot be! It is not happening! Violet is mine and no other man's! How dare Stark touch her! How could she let him touch her!? This is intolerable._ Tony Stark had to die and die as soon as possible. This time there would be no middle man. Irons would get Nottingham to bring Stark to him, and he would cut his heart out. That would get Violet to come to him; and when Stark was in his grave, Violet would have no one to turn to but Irons. Irons would not allow Stark to couple with his Violet permanently.

He gnashed his teeth as more pleasurable sensations rode his body and made him weak with desire. "You are mine Violet! Mine! Do you hear me woman!? I will take your Iron Man from you and put you in your rightful place!" he shouted at his ceiling. His connection to the Witchblade was such a blessing and such a curse. He would win in the end, because that's what he always did.

* * *

When Tony finally opened his eyes after needing the sleep to recuperate from his romp in the hay with Violet, he felt calm and tranquil for the first time in a long time. His usual modus operandi with women would have had him up and out of the bed in record time after the main event. He would then retreat to his workshop or to his office at Stark Industries to avoid any further contact with his bed partner. He would leave Pepper to deal with aftermath. He now realized how unfair that had been to do to his personal assistant. He wondered why she stayed a loyal employee when she saw how callous he could be.

This time, however, he was very content to lay here with the woman he loved in his arms for as long as possible. He didn't even feel the slightest need to run away from Violet; she was a comforting presence. She had been a wildcat once she had let herself go, which pleasantly surprised him. She gave as good as she got and had sent him into orbit. Jarvis had teased Tony about wanting to fly into space and visit other planets in his suit; well, with Violet, he'd done just that. Why she was so different, and why she had such a strong effect on him, he didn't know, but he really liked it. She made him feel good inside, and it had been a long time since he had ever felt good about himself.

Tony went to pull Violet closer, for he felt cold without her warm body pressed into his, and he was shocked to find that she wasn't there. He stretched his arm out further and felt for her on the other side of the bed; nothing. He finally rolled over and looked, but there was no sign of her sexy body in the bed. Panic descended upon him; it was like someone had stabbed him in the gut to find her not there. _Where in hell did she go?_ She'd been worried he'd fly the coop on her, but it seemed she had on him. He didn't like that idea or how it made him feel; the shoe was on the other foot now.

He looked to see if the bathroom door was closed and it wasn't. He couldn't hear any sounds of a shower going, so he figured she wasn't in there. His heart skipped a beat, and his panic became real fear that she'd left him all alone; that she had left him and wasn't coming back. Then he looked out across the room the other way, toward his expansive bedroom windows. He had had Jarvis tone them down a little bit again, for privacy and more intimacy in the dark. Tony had also asked Jarvis to engage his do-not-disturb program while he was enjoying his lady thief's company; he didn't need Pepper or anyone else interrupting them.

There was Violet, standing at one of the windows, looking out at the sea. She seemed to have her forehead resting against the glass as she took in the view. She was wrapped in one of the cream colored bed sheets — another reason Tony felt cold — covering her wonderful body he had thoroughly mapped out earlier. He concentrated on Violet's thick and rich brunette hair falling down her shoulders and back, wispy, but full. Her petite form, with its luscious curves, was once again stirring his blood. She was really a lovely portrait standing there by the window.

His heart finally settled down, and he let out his breath in a relieved whoosh. That had really scared him; not finding her in his bed. For a faint moment he pondered if that was how a lot of the women he'd done a disappearing act on had felt. It wasn't something he wanted to dwell on too long or think about too deeply. He pushed those kinds of thoughts aside and out of his mind.

He now noticed that Violet seemed kind of wistful, maybe even melancholy; that would not do. He would have to do something about that. He quietly got out of the bed and strode over to her, grabbing his pajama bottoms that had been throw halfway across the room. He smiled as he remembered just how she had gotten them off him. Tony usually didn't care what his neighbors thought, and he doubted any of them could really see into his bedroom, but suddenly he didn't want to strut around nude. Maybe Violet was influencing him in that area too.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again, Miss Devonshire," he lightly scolded her as he came up behind her, slipping his arms possessively around her trim waist and pulling her back into him.

"What? Huh?" Violet asked confused at his statement, as if her mind had been very far away.

"You made a big deal about me sticking around after our intense and intimate dance, and then you're not there when I wake up," he elaborated for her. "That was not very nice," he added, laying kisses along her bare shoulder blade.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I just needed to clear my head and think a little bit." She leaded back into him, loving the feel of him behind her.

"Penny for your thoughts, Vi," he mumbled through his kisses on her neck and shoulders.

Violet pivoted her head enough to look up at him as she allowed her head to rest on his shoulder. "I'm just trying to make all this feel real, like I'm having a hard time believing this is happening to me."

"Oh, it happened, sweetheart; it definitely happened," Tony assured her. "I think the earth moved or stars collided or something, because you were amazing."

He watched as a goofy grin appeared around her mouth of a moment, and then it faded. She blushed next. "You were incredible, Tony. No man has ever made me feel the way you do. You showed me a whole new dimension in love making."

Tony felt himself beam with pride. It did his ego good to know that he'd exceeded her expectations. She had certainly blown his out of the water. "It's 'cause I'm in love for the first time in my life. I've been very attracted to women, even had crushes on some, but you're the first one I think I've actually loved. Maybe that adds a little kick," he said the last as a joke to lighten out his seriousness.

"I love you too, Tony," Violet's voice was very faint as she admitted this, but Tony heard her. He bent down and found her mouth, kissing her soundly and deeply; it was returned in earnest. But then, Violet pulled away from him and wandered down in front of another window. Something was wrong; even Tony, as dense as he sometimes was, could tell that now.

"What's wrong, Vi?" he asked, following her and drawing her back into his arms again. This time he made sure she was facing him, and he made her look at him. "You're not regretting our —," he tried to ask further, but she stopped him with one of her petite hands on his lips.

Her eyes had a very worried look in them. "It's not that; not that at all. You sure know how to show a girl a good time…I'm just thinking about Pepper," she told him.

"Pepper?" he repeated her name in confusion. "Why are you thinking about her?"

"I haven't…come between you two or anything like that, have I?" Violet wanted to know.

Tony finally got where she was going with this line of thought. "Absolutely not, Vi. No, no, no, no," he said empathically.

"She really cares about you, Tony. I can see it in everything she does for you," Violet stated, trying to get him to see it.

"Pepper and I have been through a lot," he explained. "She has put up with me and my antics longer than anybody else. I know she cares about me, and I care about her. I couldn't get through the day without her help. And I do love her, but as a member of a family I never really had. There was a time when we might have been more than good friends, but I blew that chance, and we've moved passed it. We've been friends for so long that anything else just feels weird. She's important to me and in my life, but she's not what you are to me, Vi."

"And what am I to you, Tony?" Violet asked softly, tentatively.

Tony fingered her cheek and chin tenderly with one hand, while the other one firmly held her waist. "A companion, a partner, the woman I love," he breathed. "I don't know what that means yet, and I hope you'll be patient with me while I figure it out and come to terms with it."

"You might be able to persuade me to do that," Violet told him, obviously relieved by his words.

"Oh, I'll do more than persuade you, Miss Devonshire," he turned coy again instantly. "I'll convince you of it without any shadow of a doubt." He kissed her soundly again, grabbing her upper legs with both hands from underneath her sheet, getting her to wrap them around his waist. Her arms encircled his neck and shoulders, kissing him feveredly in return.

"You're going to have to put a lot of work into it then," she told him, being equally coy. "_A lot_ of work into it."

"When it's the kind of work I enjoy, it won't be a problem," he came back at her with. He backed them into the bed, and they fell onto it in heap, laughing at their exuberance.

"Let's find out if round two is as good as round one," she commented with a twinkle in her eye that just about undid Tony.

"Oh, it'll be a knock out. I promise you that, honey," was the last thing he said before he fully engaged himself in giving his lady thief another fun-filled ride.

* * *

Pepper couldn't believe she had slept in the entire morning and afternoon; she never did that, but then she didn't experience nearly getting blown out of the sky every day either. She had slept like a log until almost three o'clock. It was still amazing her that Violet had told her to go home and that she would handle things, Tony in particular. It was also amazing that Pepper had trusted Violet to do so. Pepper never for a second doubted that Violet could handle being Tony's keeper for the night.

_I guess her saving us from the mad bomber really got to my subconscious, _Pepper thought wryly. _I don't think if I had really thought the whole thing through that I wouldn't have gone home last night._ But some part of Pepper had felt that it was all right to leave Tony and his baggage in Violet's hands. Deep down, Pepper was relieved to be able to share that burden with someone. She had carried that load alone for a long time now; not that she really minded all that much, but it was just a nice feeling to be spelled off, even for just a night.

Now Pepper was furiously trying to get showered, dressed, made up, breakfasted, and out the door to Tony's. She had tried to call to apologize for being so late and so unprofessional, but Jarvis had been the one to answer, just saying that Tony was in a do-not-disturb mode. _What does that mean? _Pepper knew what it usually meant, but what did it mean today? _Is he still sleeping off his bout with hypothermia and asphyxia? Is he hunkered down in his workshop with Violet still trying to sleep off her life-draining rescue? Or does it mean that he is with Violet?_ Pepper really didn't want to go there; she liked Violet, and Violet would be good for Tony, but it still bothered her.

Pepper Potts couldn't help but feel extremely jealous toward the young thief. Violet had done something that Pepper had never been able to do; get into Tony's heart. Tony's reaction to Violet's swan dive out of the plane had proven that to Pepper. No, Violet seemed to be getting more into Tony's soul than his just his heart. _Why couldn't that be something I could have accomplished? _Then it came to her; Pepper had never admitted to herself that she truly felt like that about her boss. She fought the idea, suppressed it, put it out of her mind, and now it was too late. If she could have just confessed what she was really feeling, she wouldn't have lost him. It just wasn't meant to be. Pepper would always be there for Tony, no matter what; he was her best friend, and sadly that was who he would remain. This wasn't Violet's fault; she had somehow found the strength to love Tony outright, which Pepper just couldn't bring herself to do.

As she unlocked Tony's front door with her key and entered the correct security code, Jarvis greeted her. "Good afternoon, Miss Potts," he said in his usual, proper British accent.

"Where's Mr. Stark?" she asked of Jarvis. She was scared of his answer, however. She really didn't want to hear that he was still in bed, most likely with Violet.

"He is currently down in his workshop," was Jarvis' crisp response.

That genuinely surprised Pepper and made her relax a little bit; that was normal behavior for Tony Stark. Maybe she could fall into their old route and feel normal about things. She placed her purse and briefcase on the tall entranceway table, and then made her way to the waterfall and the staircase. She headed down the stairs very intent on checking on her boss's state of mind and health. All the windows and the door into Tony's workshop were clear and transparent. Before Pepper went to punch in her code to enter the workshop, she paused at what she saw going on inside.

Tony was in there all right, and he was obviously immersed in some project, but he was not alone, which was unusual. Violet was in there with him, working right along side him; well that wasn't entirely accurate. Violet appeared to be sitting at his main desk/work station area with a small and compact soldering tool in her hands. One of Tony's robots held a magnifying glass in front of Violet's eyes to help her see the tiny area she was trying to join together. It looked like one of Tony's Iron Man boots, but it must have been an earlier version of one, because it was unpainted silver, not red and gold.

What impacted Pepper the most was how Tony was leaning into Violet from behind her. She was seated; he was standing, but his face was right next to hers, just above her right shoulder. His arms and hands were placed on either side of her shoulders, spread out on the desk in front of them both. He seemed to be directing her as to what circuits she should be connecting. The scene was very intense, very intimate. Violet didn't act at all like she was uncomfortable with Tony that close; his mouth right next to her ear, and their cheeks were almost touching. Tony was dressed in a gray Metallica T-shirt that had seen better days, and a grubby pair of blue jeans. Violet had on one of his navy blue MIT T-shirts and blue jeans. The T-shirt was a little large on her, so she had tied it off at the bottom, like a style out of the eighties.

Pepper knew she was gaping at them, but she couldn't help it. She had to blink several times to make sure she was seeing what she was seeing. Tony never worked with anyone else in his workshop; hell, she was hardly allowed in there. The fact that he was working with someone in his workshop floored her, and it was a double doozy that it was a woman. _Have I just entered the "Twilight Zone", because it sure feels like I have._

When she paid attention to the sounds around her, Pepper realized that Tony had cranked up his music once again. He was currently playing songs from the eighties German rocker group, the Scorpions. The song _Wind of Change_ had just ended, and now the song _Hit Between the Eyes_ was starting to play. Violet didn't seem to mine the choice of music; she moved to the songs' beats a little in her seat.

Finally, Pepper put her code in and walked into the workshop; the music only got louder. She found the volume control and did what she always did, turned it down. That was when she caught whatever Violet had been saying to Tony. "…if you don't stop that, I'm going to solder this wrong. You're making it nearly impossible to concentrate. I thought you were trying to teach me to do this correctly."

"Only nearly?" Tony replied seductively, apparently stuck on the fact that he wasn't totally blowing Violet's concentration. Pepper noticed that he was nuzzling Violet's neck as she was trying to make a connection, and Violet was enjoying it rather than being annoyed by it. _Did something happen between them?_ Pepper was now virtually certain that it had.

"Okay, fine. You've completely trashed my concentration. There, are you happy?" Violet grumbled playfully. "This project was _your_ idea. If _you _want to ruin it, by all means —," she was cut off as Tony kissed her ardently.

Pepper realized that the couple was so into each other that, even the change in music volume hadn't gotten their attention. Tony's personal assistant couldn't handle this scene any longer. She finally cleared her throat as loudly as possible, and let one of her high-heels click on the floor resoundly. Both actions snapped Tony's head around to look at her, and Violet spun her chair to face Pepper. Violet went bright red, and then Pepper watched as all the color drained out of the brunette's face. Tony seemed to freeze up for a moment, but then he recovered himself quickly.

He straightened himself up, left Violet, and walked over to Pepper. "Good afternoon, Miss Potts," he greeted her, feigning as if nothing were wrong, and that there was no awkward moment. "Did you sleep well?" he then asked.

Pepper tried to regain her professional composure as well. "Like the dead," she replied. "I think I over slept, but I figured that you'd still be recuperating, and wouldn't mind that I needed the chance to recover as well. Besides, I left you in capable hands," she said meaningfully, indicating Violet.

"That you did, and you could've taken the whole day off it you needed to, Miss Potts. The last few days have been hard on all of us," Tony went on, still trying to force away the uncomfortable vibe in the room. He looked back at Violet, who was white as a sheet, but looking a little green around the gills, too.

"Maybe I should have," Pepper suddenly said, her tone a little angry. What she saw happening between Tony and Violet shouldn't have bothered her, but it did, a lot.

Tony had been with numerous women; one more shouldn't make any difference, but Tony had always left them quickly, leaving his trusty personal assistant to deal with them. Never had he brought one down into his workshop to work on one of his projects with him. None of them had lasted past his bedroom. Pepper could sense the change in Tony; his attitude toward Violet was totally different_. Could it be possible that a woman has finally made a mark on Tony Stark? Could he possibly be in love?_ That made Pepper's mind reel and her heart ache.

"I need to let you two talk this out," Violet whispered from her chair. "I'm sorry, Pepper. I fought it as long as I could," she added as she beat a hasty retreat toward the workshop door that Pepper had thankfully left open.

"Vi, wait. You don't have to go," Tony pleaded, some panic showing in his voice now. "We're all adults here. We can deal with this like grown-ups."

"Why do I have my doubts about that?" Pepper said bitterly. She knew it was a mean thing to say, and she really didn't mean to say it, but it slipped out of her mouth anyway.

Tony hung his head at her words; they stung and stung deeply. Probably because there was some truth to what Pepper was communicating to him. He had never been good at being a grown-up, at least not for long periods of time. "I guess I deserved that," he finally said, "but Violet doesn't. This isn't her fault. I've fallen for her, Pepper. I'm in love with her. I've always been the man that had everything, yet nothing at the same time. Well, not anymore."

"What?" Pepper said, surprised by Tony's straightforward declaration.

"I can't explain what's happening to me, exactly," Tony attempted to expound his feelings, "but Violet isn't just another fling, Pepper. She's like my other half. She fills in all the places I'm lacking. If I'm reckless, she's caution. If I'm prideful, she's humble. I think the same is true for her in regards to me. Does that make any sense?"

Unfortunately, it made way too much sense for Pepper's comfort. Tony had found a soulmate in Violet; someone who would keep him grounded and on the right course to protect the people he felt he had put in harms way. And Tony would be someone that could help Violet find her inner hero and allow her to come out of her shell. _Damn it! They're perfect for each other, _Pepper thought to herself.

She closed her eyes and counted to ten. Pepper knew that Violet would be a good influence on her best friend and boss, but a large part of her regretted that it wasn't she, herself, instead. Here was her chance to tell Tony how she truly felt about him. Then she realized how childish and selfish she was being. She needed to be an adult here just as much as Tony did, but what did that mean? What was the mature thing to do; tell him what was in her heart, or sacrifice her feelings for his happiness? Pepper honestly didn't know. Right now, with Violet involved, she thought it meant keeping her heart's desire a secret. Maybe someday Pepper could let Tony know just what how much she cared for him, but at this moment in time it just didn't feel like the right thing to do.

"Pepper?" Tony's worried voice broke into her thoughts. She had been silent for a long time.

Finally, she steeled herself and said, "It's about time that you used that heart of yours. It's one thing to realize that you really do have one, and another to actually put it to work."

Tony just stared at Pepper for a few moments, taking in what she had said. He had thought she was going to yell at him for being impulsive or give him a lecture. For one split second, he thought he saw a flash of jealousy and regret in her eyes, but then it was gone. Pepper was throwing her support behind his and Violet's relationship development.

"Just make sure that you don't break Violet's heart while you're at it," Pepper added as an admonishment.

"I'm not planning to," he replied, finding himself a little defensive.

"You never _plan_ to do anything, Tony," Pepper said with a sigh. "That's the problem sometimes. Just remember that your decisions and choices affect more than just you."

Tony bit his lip and gave Pepper a curt nod, trying to define his current emotions. "Point well made and taken, Miss Potts. I will," he said, returning to her more formal title. He then went to speak to Violet, who was still standing in the workshop doorway. She had a very shocked, but relieved expression on her face. Before he could say anything more, the cell phone in his back jean pocket went off.

"Hold on a minute," he said instead of what he was going to say. He took the small and sleek phone out of his pocket. When he looked at the caller id; it said unknown caller. That struck him as odd; there were not that many people who had his personal cell number. Jarvis had obviously lifted the do-not disturb protocols, if calls were getting through now. He decided to answer the phone; his curiosity piqued. He began with a simple, "Hello."

There was a lot of static on the other end of the line, like the signal was very weak. He thought he heard someone sobbing. Then came a terrified, female voice, "Tony Stark?" it asked, laced with panic.

Tony didn't know what to make of it. He stood there dumbly for a moment, and then replied, "Speaking. Who's this?"

"You have to help me!" the feminine voice cried in a hushed manner. "He's after me! And he's going to kill me!"

"Who's after you? Who's trying to kill you? Who _is_ this?" Tony fired of his questions, caught up in the panic. Pepper and Violet exchanged high-arched eyebrow gestures at Tony's words.

"You have to save me from him! Please Mr. Stark! Please don't let him kill me!" the woman said in great terror.

"I will, but you have to tell me what's going on," Tony said, attempting to get more information.

"This is Vanessa Devonshire, Violet's little sister," the woman finally told him. "And Ian Nottingham is after me. I think I've lost him, but he could find me at any moment. Please come get me! If you don't, I'm dead!"

TBC

**Oh dear! Is Violet's little sister really in trouble? Is she setting a trap for Tony or Violet or both of them? Will they fall for it? You'll have to wait and see. For those of you wanting an Iron Man suit action scene, it will be forth coming over the next two chapters. :)**


	17. Chapter 17: ShowNTell

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own any of the rights to anything Iron Man, that right goes to Marvel Studios/Comics. I don't own any of the rights to anything dealing with the Witchblade that right goes to Top Cow Productions. The only thing I claim as mine is any original characters I created and the plot of this particular story. No copy right infringement is meant. This is for fun and not for money.**

**Rated T: For language and action violence**

**A/N: Okay, this chapter will set up a new problem for our heroes and move readers into the start of some action. I decided to add another twist at the end, just for fun. I'm using ideas from the Witchblade comics, but changing them ever so slightly to fit my interpretation of things. I'm going to bring this story to a close with three more chapters after this one, for an even twenty, so not much more to go. The main action will happen in the next chapter, but this one will gradually build up to some Iron Man action stuff. :)**

**Thanks to AblatedCrayon for all the physics lessons. I have to give him full credit for coming up with a way to explain the tech of the black suit Tony is seen wearing in the movie under the Iron Man armor. It bugged me forever to find a cool way to describe it and its function in my story. He got me unstuck and helped me keep things more realistic. I appreciate his advice. Thanks need to go to RID3RLVR (Ari), too, for catching some serious typos and for her kind support.**

**Read away!!!**

**- Ladyhawke Legend**

* * *

**Chapter 17**

**Show-N-Tell**

"Don't let Violet know you're talking to me," Vanessa Devonshire breathed into Tony's ear through his stylish cell phone. "That's why I called _you_ instead of _her_. I don't want to cause her anymore pain, but I need help." She didn't sound anything like Violet; Tony had thought she would.

"Where are you?" Tony asked after taking in what Vanessa was saying to him. He ignored the questioning looks that Violet and Pepper were giving him, and he turned away from both of them. "Are you close?"

"Yes," Vanessa whispered. She must have been trying to be as quiet as possible, because Tony could barely hear her. "I'm in downtown L.A. I've been in the city for a few days on a business trip. I'm at the Los Angeles Convention Center. I stayed late at a medical conference my company got invited to. I'm hiding in one of the West Hall bathrooms."

Tony was trying to rack his brain to find a way to ask Vanessa questions without tipping off his two women listeners and to picture in his mind Vanessa's locale and situation. He finally decided to leave his workshop and go upstairs, hopefully out of earshot. "This is a call I've gotta take," he informed Violet and Pepper, placing his hand over the mouth piece of his phone. "I'll be upstairs. We can finish our former discussion later."

He passed by Violet at the door, not looking her in the eye. He proceeded to climb the stairs, two at a time. Once he was up to the main house level, he headed for the far side of his circular living room. Tony wanted to find out everything he could about what was going on before he made the choice of whether to freak Violet out about all this or not. She was just starting to feel comfortable, safe, and secure. Hell, she had even made love to him. Tony wasn't about to ruin all those good feelings, just yet.

If the circumstances warranted it, he'd break down and tell her what was going on. Right now, however, what Violet didn't know wouldn't hurt her. _I _am_ Iron Man after all; I could deal with this myself and probably end up being the big, bad hero. _He might even be able to earn more brownie points with his new lover if he could handle it. Tony couldn't keep the smile from spreading across his face as he thought of sexy Violet as _his _lover.

Vanessa's frantic voice brought him crashing back down to earth. "I don't know how long I can evade Nottingham," she was telling Tony. "He's like a damn bloodhound."

"Why haven't you called the police? Why call me?" Tony found himself asking.

"I just saw Nottingham take out about ten security guards without breaking a sweat," Vanessa rasped. "I don't think the police will be of much help. I need _your _kind of help; the Iron Man kind of help."

"How did you get my private cell number? It's not listed, and I don't give it out to just _anybody_," he said, slipping into an interrogation mode. Something about this whole situation was bugging him, nagging at him.

There was silence on the other end of the line. Tony wasn't sure if it was because Vanessa was trying to figure out how to reply to his question, or if it was because Nottingham was close by, and she had to keep quiet so he'd move on. "Vanessa, are you still there?" he finally asked.

"Yes," came her breathy voice. "I thought someone was outside the restroom. They're gone now. I got your number from a friend in a government agency who owes me a favor. Ever since I saw and recognized my big sister on the news with you, I knew I had to find a way to contact her through you. I haven't spoken to Violet in almost a year. I was desperate to talk with her."

Vanessa's explanation made sense to Tony, but he still felt the need to be wary about all of this. "Then why don't you want Violet to know that you're in trouble?" he asked next.

"This was not how I wanted to greet her, Mr. Stark, by my life being threatened by the murderer of our brothers and parents. Violet blames herself for all of that. I don't want to add myself to her pile of guilt," was the response he got.

For a moment if sounded like Vanessa dropped the phone. He heard her gasp, and then he heard a really loud noise in the background. Vanessa's scream came over the line loud and clear. "Hurry, Stark! He's found me!" The line suddenly went dead.

_Shit, this is such a mess_, Tony thought to himself. He was torn on what to do now. _Do I tell Violet or not?_ _Is this a real problem or a trap set up by Irons? _Tony wouldn't put it passed the evil genius to have planned the whole thing out; the slimy bastard had used Violet's family against her before. Irons might have pulled one over on Vanessa, seduced her like he tried to do with Violet. Maybe Vanessa's will wasn't as strong as her big sister's. Tony had to consider the possibility that Vanessa Devonshire could be a willing participant in all of this.

Suddenly, he felt the influence of the Witchblade's essence in his mind. It was almost like it was dropping thoughts into his head. _Damn. Could the Witchblade still be able to influence me even though the Periculum is over? Do I share my part of myself with it now, like Violet does? _Tony's mind raced with these kinds of thoughts. Those ideas scared him, a lot. He didn't hear the Witchblade's voice so much as came to a realization about whatever kind of message it was trying to send him.

He was being urged to tell Violet the truth about Vanessa's predicament, despite what Vanessa had requested. If Tony kept something like this from Violet or lied to her about it, he would lose all the trust he had just gained from her. She would be hurt, angry, and feel betrayed once again. Tony was so tempted not to tell her, however. Part of him wanted to be the one who saved the day this time, not that he wasn't extremely grateful that Violet had saved his life; it had still been a blow to his ego. He wanted to impress his lover and show her just how good he was.

"Who was on the phone?" Violet's melodic voice came suddenly from behind him. "Is someone in trouble?"

She had really startled Tony, making him actually jump and look sheepishly at her. It was time he made the decision to tell her or not. Pepper's words came back to haunt him then. His personal assistant had told him that his decisions didn't just affect him anymore. Tony knew he had to stop thinking of himself and agreed with the Witchblade's suggestion. As he looked into Violet's sparking blue eyes, Tony knew he _had _to tell her; it was the right thing to do.

"Yeah, someone's in trouble," he began hesitantly. "We need to go suit up."

"We…suit up…?" Violet managed to parrot through her confusion and shock.

"Exactly," Tony replied as he grabbed one of Violet's petite hands and gently pulled her back toward the stairs going down to his workshop.

"Tony!" Violet snapped, digging in her heals so he couldn't move her. "Tell me what's going on. Who's in trouble?"

Violet watched as Tony got a deer-caught-in-the-headlights look for a moment, and then he took a deep breath. "Your sister, Vanessa," he confessed. He instantly felt relieved and glad deep down inside that he _could_ be honest with the woman he loved.

"What!?" she gasped. "Why? How? Where is she?" The questions erupted from her. Then Tony watched as a realization hit her. "Oh God, no! Please don't tell me that Irons has finally decided to go after her?" Violet began shaking, and she seemed to lose her equilibrium.

Tony instantly reached out, enfolding her into his arms. He felt Violet start to sob into his chest. Her emotional pain wrenched his heart. _This is why I didn't want to say anything,_ he thought to himself. _I wanted to spare her this. Damn you Kenneth Irons!_

Out loud Tony said, "I'm so sorry, honey." He tried to make his voice soothing. "We'll find a way to fix this. We'll go after her and save her. She didn't want me to say anything to you about her being danger, but I just couldn't hide it from you. You need to know what's going on."

Violet slowly looked up at him, tears streaming down her face. The look in her eyes, however, warmed his heart, like a kiss from the sun. "Thank you, Tony. You don't know what your honesty means to me."

"You're welcome, Vi," he said in return with an affectionate smile. "I kind of figured that that might be the better course of action. You can thank the Witchblade and Pepper for reminding of that fact. Now, let's go do something about it," he said, switching the focus off of himself. "She said she was at the Los Angeles Convention Center being hunted by Nottingham. I figure, between the two of us, we can rescue her and kick Nottingham's ass."

"It might just take the two of us and more," Violet commented. When Tony gave her a funny look, she elaborated. "Nottingham isn't your normal, everyday ex-military man-turned-bodyguard. He is a hybrid of a wielder's DNA and Irons'. Plus, he was a member of the _Black Dragons._ It was an experiment Vorschlag worked on for the Pentagon; a way to create stronger and faster soldiers. He was exposed to some pretty heavy duty aggression-enhancing drugs and subliminal message training. He really is quicker and more physically powerful than an average human male in so many ways, and he is an expert assassin and killer." Then another thought occurred to Violet. "What if this is some kind of horrible trap that Irons has lain out to snare me and kill you?" she asked with apprehension.

"Half the battle of avoiding a trap is knowing that it's there," Tony told her. "We'll be prepared for that possibility." He didn't like this new information about Nottingham; that the man was some sort of weird science experiment. _General Ross is going to have a lot of questions to answer from me and from SHIELD._

"How can you be so confident?" Violet suddenly questioned, studying Tony intently.

"Because I'm _me_," he responded to her serious inquiry with a joke. The truth was; he was really worried out the outcome of this situation. _Will we be able to save Vanessa in time or is she leading us into a trap we can't get out of?_

"Oh, Tony, be serious, please," Violet huffed and weakly swatted at him.

He let her lightly hit him, and then he took her hand in his. He laughed it off, hiding his doubts from her. "I _am_ being serious," he retorted. He kissed Violet then, deeply, trying to get her to think only about him, and so he could think only about her; at least for a few brief moments. When he was with Violet, the world went away, and Tony felt at peace. Violet didn't resist his attempt at distraction. She welcomed it, leaving him breathless with her tasting and exploring kiss.

He finally pulled out of the heat searing lip smack, trembling from how wonderful it made him feel. "I don't think that will ever get old, Vi," he whispered huskily to her, leaning his forehead against hers. "It's fireworks each and every time."

"I'll second that T," she purred in return, holding him tightly to her. She wanted to absorb his strength and just savor how safe he could make her feel.

Tony pulled back enough so he could look at Violet better. She had just shortened his name down to a single letter; he loved it. It was her version of a nickname or term of endearment. It was absolutely perfect.

"Come on," he said, leading her back downstairs. "We need to get going. I'm afraid of what Nottingham might do."

"Me too," she agreed and let him take her down to his workshop.

* * *

Pepper was insisting that they get SHIELD involved; have a squad of agents go with Tony and Violet. Tony was trying to weasel out of it. He figured the less people involved the better, at this point. He attempted to compromise. "I'll call them in as back up, if we need them," he told Pepper firmly.

She gave him an exasperated look and sighed heavily. "I should just quit, you know."

"What?" Tony said in total shock. "Why?" he then asked in confusion.

"Because you never listen to me," she spat back. "I'm only trying to help your sorry ass, and you never listen."

Tony had the wherewithal to look chagrined. "Look, I understand what you're saying and where you're coming from Miss Potts, but we want to keep this quiet and not attract too much attention. SHIELD coming in blazing would do just that."

"Oh, and flying in as Iron Man, won't?" Pepper demanded.

"Not if I land close by, and Violet and I go in the back way to the Convention Center," he stated his plan. "Listen, I promise I will call SHIELD in, if it comes to that, okay? But you shouldn't worry so much. I do have a partner this time. I'm not totally flying solo on this one."

Pepper was still not satisfied, but she knew when her boss' mind was made up, and there wasn't one damn thing she could do to change it. "Don't you even think about calling them unless I okay it," Tony then ordered her. "I know you Miss Potts," he continued as she tried to protest. "You'll call them the moment I leave. Don't. Just trust me this time. If you don't hear from me or Jarvis within thirty minutes of leaving the house, you can call in the cavalry, okay?"

"Fine, Mr. Stark, have it your way," she huffed unhappily, but complying with his wishes for the time being. "But if you get your ass shot off, don't come crying to me about it."

Tony laughed at her attempt to lighten the mood. He'd won, but he knew it was only temporary. He was dressed in the black undersuit he wore as a protective layer underneath his Iron Man armor. Tony was ready to have his unique robot assembly line help him get the main suit on. He felt Violet's lingering stare upon him; the black undersuit was very form fitting.

"You like what you see, Vi?" he couldn't help but ask as he strutted over to her. Pepper couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes.

"Mmmhmm," Violet said with a small grin and a sparkle in her blue eyes. "I take it that garment is not just to show off your fine masculine physique?" she then asked humorously.

Tony nodded with a large grin. "Very astute, Miss Devonshire," he said glibly. "It has several functions, actually. One, it's mostly made of Kevlar, performing two jobs: helping keep penetrating bullets in check and resisting the heating up of my outside armor. Two, it has special sensors to observe body movement to help me control the outer armor. And three – my favorite by the way – I'm trying out a new compound of substances to help my blood coagulate so I don't bleed to death inside the suit if I do get injured that badly. I'm using fibrinogen, ADP, and collagen in a mix together. They are in an organic gel form woven in between the Kevlar threads. If anything gets punctured, including my skin and muscle, the ruptured hole comes into immediate contact with all those pro-clotting agents, staunching the bleeding until I can get proper medical care." As Tony was explaining the roles of his undersuit to Violet, he felt slightly like one of his MIT professors; he was having a teaching moment, and he realized he liked the feeling. "I call it KAKS wear."

"Cox wear?" Violet and Pepper both said incredulously.

"Yeah, Kinesthesia-Analyzing Kevlar Softsuit," Tony replied proudly.

"Oh dear God," Pepper said trying not to laugh.

"Very creative, Tony," Violet also was attempting to hide her amusement.

"I'd like to see you try and come up with an acronym to better describe it," he shot back at them, disgusted they that thought his genius was silly. He liked the name and that's all there was to it. Then he turned his attention to Jarvis. "Let's get this show on the road, Jarvis," he ordered. "Suit me up, please."

As Tony spoke he positioned himself near the floor of the workshop that was somewhat marked off as a kind of rounded rectangle. Each section within the rectangle was numbered with either a zero, one, two, negative one, or a negative two. At Tony's command to Jarvis, each section split apart and opened, revealing the boot and leg pieces of the Iron Man suit as the panels flipped and twisted. Tony easily stepped forward and slipped his feet in the foot sections of the armor. Instantly, the foot pieces tightened down on his feet, and the robotic assembly connected and fastened the legs portions together; rivets and joints sealing shut. Each piece fitting together like perfect puzzle pieces.

Out of the ceiling came robotic limbs with the arm sections of the Iron Man suit. The robots opened the main pieces of the arm portions wide, and all Tony had to do was slip his arms right into them. Then the robotic limbs brought more and more sections and placed them all up and down Tony's arms, fitting him with his hand gauntlets. More rivets and joints were sealed shut and tightened down. Again, each piece fit flawlessly together, creating a finely integrated whole.

More robotic arms come forward with the shoulder, chest, torso, and upper leg parts of the armor. For his chest and back, the armor seemed composed of what looked like three layers, with the final piece the solid red chest portion that fit over his mini arc reactor, which brightened as it expended more energy to start powering up the suit. All the while the robotic assembly continually connected, joined, fastened, and tightened each part securely together. It all took about only a minute to complete.

As the robots let go of Tony's arms, two more robotic arms came down and put together the main structure of Tony's helmet complete with its HUD unit. He had Jarvis stop the process before the face plate was brought down to cover his face. He still wanted to see Violet with his own eyes; he was greatly anticipating Violet's reaction to the whole event. He was hoping she'd be impressed. He felt like a little kid doing his first show-n-tell at school, trying to win over all the other kids.

Tony was not disappointed, for Violet was staring at him and his masterfully designed deployment system in awe. He saw the excitement and wonder in her eyes, and it made his day. It was not very often that he got to share his greatest accomplishment and invention with someone, especially someone who could know all his secrets. It gave him great satisfaction and a sense of fulfillment. Pepper and Rhodey had similar reactions, but Tony liked Violet's the best.

"Holy cow, Tony," she gushed. "That was…that was…just —."

He cut her off, finishing her statement for her. "Just awesome."

"Totally," she agreed, walking around him in a circle, and then reversing her path to walk in a circle the other way around him as well. "I'm really and truly impressed." She could see that it hugged Tony's body well. The suit had defined shoulders, upper arms, lower arms, chest, rib, hips, thigh, and lower leg proportions. It was one of the coolest things Violet had ever seen.

"I was hoping you'd be," he admitted.

Pepper thought she heard a nervous and tentative note in Tony's voice, and was he actually blushing? She couldn't believe that he actually cared what someone thought about what he'd created. Usually the only opinion that matter to him was his own. Violet was bringing out a side of Tony that Pepper hadn't been sure existed, but he was proving to be just like most other people on the planet. He _did_ need people and their support. It was nice to know that even though he was a genius and very full of himself, he did have a humble and self-conscious streak too.

"It's absolutely marvelous, Tony," Violet now told him. "The way your mind works is fascinating."

"I'm glad somebody around here can see that and appreciate it," he said as he glanced meaningfully at Pepper. "Now it's your turn, Vi," he stated as he turned his attention back to Violet. He was almost as excited to see the Witchblade activate again, as he had been to have Violet see him get suited up.

"Sure thing," she said and took a small step back. She raised her right arm slightly, bending it at her elbow. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a second, aligning her mind with the Witchblade. It was scary how quickly she could lose herself in the Witchblade's essence; how quickly she could become one with it.

The Witchblade sprang to life as Violet willed it to activate. The bracelet shifting and unfolding in sections to become the glove and gauntlet form. From there, the Witchblade spread out over Violet's whole body, covering her in its silvery-white metal armor. This time it chose to appear smooth and solidly connected, much like how the Iron Man suit looked. Instead of looking like an old-fashioned, medieval knight, Violet looked more like a futuristic terminator cybernetic robot. Tony liked this new look and wondered where it came from, and why the Witchblade had decided to update its appearance. Little did he know, it was being influenced by the designs in his head, using him to update itself.

Violet's transformation took less than a minute. The sword blade flashed out of Violet's right hand, and she slashed it back and forward for dramatic effect. Her head was left uncovered for now, and her dark hair seemed to flow around her head and shoulders. Tony had to remember to breathe she was so stunning.

"Show off," he teased her.

"Look who's talking," she retorted good-naturedly. "You ready to do this?"

"Yup," Tony said. "Aren't you forgetting something?" he then asked of Violet.

"What do you mean?" she asked, confused by his question.

"Well, I've got the jet thing going on," he informed her. "Don't you need something additional to fly, Vi?"

She finally got what he meant. "Oh, wings, right," she said, feeling silly. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it, honey," he said with a smug smile.

Pepper had had enough of their banter and showing off. "Get going both of you, or you might not make it in time to help your sister," she directed the last to Violet.

"She's right," Violet said feeling guilty to be having fun, when the whole reason for suiting up was to save her little sister from Nottingham. "We need to move it."

Tony snapped the face plate of the Iron Man helmet down, hiding his handsome face behind the gold colored panel. He fired the jet propulsion system up and ignited his thrusters. His gauntlets powered up his flight stabilizers. "We're outta here," he said with the metallic sounding voice the helmet gave him.

When he looked over to see if Violet was ready for flight, he saw the last of the wing attachments come to life, growing out of the Witchblade covering Violet's back. He heard the whoosh of her wings as they started beating and allowed her to lift off the ground. The Witchblade had also encompassed her head in a protective helmet slightly resembling his own. _Is that thing trying to infringe on my copyright or what? _Tony thought with a chuckle to himself. Violet really looked like an Iron Maiden now.

He took off in flight, whisking through the tunnel/garage structure he had going on and ended up shooting out into the setting sun. He'd rather being doing this after dark where there was less of a chance of being seen, but Vanessa couldn't wait that long. Tony turned his helmeted head, constantly processing all the incoming information from the HUD, to see Violet off to his right side and back a bit. A thrill went through him to actually be doing the hero thing with someone, and not solo. He liked doing it by himself, but having a companion, a partner, was a new and exhilarating experience.

It wouldn't take them long to reach the LA Convention Center from Malibu, not at their rate of speed. Tony told Jarvis, "Pull up the blueprints of the building so I can get a layout of the land, so to speak. I want to know where the West Hall is compared to the rest of the structure." He'd been to the Convention Center numerous times, but never really paid attention to its exact construction. Very soon, Jarvis was scrolling the requested inform across Tony's HUD interface.

"Jarvis locate possible entry points that would give us the best advantage and also make us the least visible," Tony then ordered his A.I.

"Give me a moment, sir," Jarvis replied politely.

The LA Convention Center, or LACC, was sitting so that its front faced north. The West Hall branched off the Concourse in the center to the west, hence its name, with Petree Hall in between. On the other side was the main entrance, South Hall, and Kentia Hall. Each section had massive exhibition halls and numerous meeting rooms.

"I have found a freight entrance around the south side of the West Hall section of the Convention Center that should meet your requirements, sir," Jarvis told Tony as he showed him a visual of his find.

Tony remembered that Vanessa had said she was hiding out in one of the West Hall bathrooms. "Vanessa could actually be in Petree Hall where all the West Meeting Rooms are located, or she could be in the one of the West Hall's expansive exhibition sections," he mused aloud to Jarvis. "Are there still a lot of people around? It's only about seven o'clock in the evening, so the Convention Center could still be hosting other conferences and exhibits. Just because Vanessa's was done, doesn't mean the others are too."

"I have some troubling news, sir," Jarvis then informed him.

"What kind of 'troubling news'?" Tony asked with worry in his voice.

"I accessed the Convention Center's database to see what kinds of events were scheduled for today, and it is not scheduled to be in use. There are no conventions, conferences, meetings, or exhibits on calendar for today. The Center is supposed to be closed and not operating, sir," was the answer Tony got.

"Vanessa lied?" he questioned, not really all that shocked. "She's luring us into a trap?"

"It appears so, sir," Jarvis responded.

Tony cursed under his breath. "When we get close enough, Jarvis, switch to infrared sight. I want to see how many people are in that building. We need to know what were up against."

Tony then realized Violet had no comm system in her suit. He wondered how she could hear him above the roar of his boosters and the screaming wind; he needed a way to relay what Jarvis was finding out for them. It was like Violet had read his mind because her sexy voice was suddenly in his ear.

"Can you hear me, T?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah," he said in surprise. "Can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, Iron Man," she replied playfully.

"How is that possible?" he queried.

"Thank the Witchblade again," Violet explained. "You're connected to it to now, and so it's using that connection."

"Oh," was all Tony could say. _What has that thing done to me?_ he couldn't help but think with some trepidation.

"What's the lowdown on our situation?" Violet then asked. "I assume you've put Jarvis to work."

Tony struggled again with telling Violet the truth. He didn't want to hurt her further by mentioning the fact that Vanessa had mostly like set them up, and wasn't in any real danger. Admitting that would lead to the bone-chilling fact that Vanessa was working with Irons. Violet would be devastated; he just didn't know if he could do that to her.

"T?" came Violet's voice tentatively again.

His conscience finally won out once more. "I think Vanessa lied to us, Vi," he found himself telling her. "She told me she was staying after a medical conference her company had attended, but according to Jarvis' snooping, the Convention Center isn't even up and running today."

Violet gasped as she absorbed this new information. Then she grew quiet. It was an unsettled silence for Tony. He used to be such a good liar; he had an excuse or story for anything, but now he couldn't keep from telling the truth. It was really starting to piss him off.

"Vi?" he now spoke tentatively to her.

"Irons is going to burn for this," was the bitter and vicious response Tony got. "He has somehow turned Vanessa against me. That son of a bitch."

"Do you still want to do this?" Tony then asked, trying not to light her fuse further.

"Now more than ever," she said firmly. "We've got to see what Irons' game is, and if Vanessa really is involved."

"I'm with you, honey," he said with conviction. "Let's head in."

"Sir?" Jarvis broke into their conversation.

"Yeah, Jarvis," Tony answered.

"I presume you're talking to Miss Devonshire, is that correct?"

"Who else would I be talking to Jarvis…? Wait," Tony said as a realization hit him. "You mean you can't hear her?"

"No sir, I cannot," Jarvis confirmed.

_Great, now the Witchblade's making my A.I. think I've lost it, _Tony thought sourly. "Well, _I_ can, so I need you to help me relay all your findings to her, so we can be on the same page."

"Certainly, sir," was all Jarvis said further about the matter.

Tony proceeded to fill Violet in on the layout of the Convention Center and where Jarvis had suggested they make their entrance. As they approached the large and modern-looking building, Jarvis switched Tony's view to infrared. Tony could now see the heat signatures of the items around him. Jarvis calibrated the infrared to pick up temperatures within plus or minus ten degrees of human body temperature. As Tony did a quick fly by, he registered at least eighteen heat signatures. Only three were moving, the others seemed prone and failed to move. Tony assumed those must be the Convention Center's security guards all incapacitated. The other three must be Nottingham and company. Was Vanessa one of them was the big question, and who was the other person?

"Three people are moving around in there," he told Violet. "Two on the lower level, and one on the upper level. All the guards appear to be down. I think we should divide and conquer. You take the one on the upper level, and I'll check out who's on the lower." When Violet seemed to bristle at his wanting to take on two and give her only one bad guy to deal with, he added, "You can be more quiet in an approach from up above, I can't."

"Copy that," was her brisk reply.

He smiled in his helmet at her professional attitude. "The West Hall is actually divided into two parts, A and B. There is the upper level were the meeting rooms are located. It looks like your target is walking around on that upper level. Be careful," he said meaningfully.

"Got it," she said in return. "Oh, and Tony, if you run into Nottingham, he does have one weakness you can exploit."

"Really? What is it?" Tony wondered with great curiosity.

"The kind of aggression-enhancing drugs and subliminal messages that have made him a virtual fighting machine," she expounded for Tony, "have stimulated areas of the brain that leaves its subjects susceptible to quick, strobing light. If done at the right intensity and frequency, it can paralyze his ability to move or even function."

"Thanks for the four-one-one," Tony said, trying lighten the mood. "Who do you think the third person is, if we want to say that one of the three is Vanessa and the other is Nottingham?"

Violet closed her eyes and touched the wall of the Convention Center with her metal hand. The Witchblade's senses searched for the mystery person's identity. Violet was surprised and not surprised at the same time at whom it was. "It's Jack Chambers, Vorschlag's CFO," she relayed to Tony. "I probably should tell you that he was part of the _Black Dragon_ experiment too. He will be like Nottingham, except he isn't a combination of wielder and Irons' DNA."

"And here I thought we could team up on the bastard Nottingham," Tony grumbled. "Now it looks like we have even odds. Damn, I wanted to have an advantage like two-to-one."

"Even odds is better than being out numbered," Violet commented.

"True," Tony replied still not happy about the turn of events. "Let's head inside."

"Allow me," Violet said as she looked over the simple security measures in place at the freight entrance.

In a matter of seconds she had them disabled and had picked the electronic lock on the garage door. Tony came forward and threw the door up with great ease, thanks to his Iron Man suit. He felt he had to contribute in some manner to getting into the building; Violet got to do the fun part, however. She was easily proving herself to be the master thief out of the two of them. Tony thought he could have disabled the security measures just as quickly and efficiently as she had, but it was nice to work with a partner; each taking equal weight.

Tony signaled he was going inside, and Violet nodded to him and followed his lead. She felt incredibly uneasy suddenly, like something was off somehow. She couldn't put a finger on why she felt that way, but it disturbed her. She thought it might have something to do with Chambers. Now that she was completely in tune with the Witchblade, she realized he was not what he seemed. Violet parted from Tony as he made his way down the hallway from the freight entrance. She activated her wings again and took off for the upper level.

Tony couldn't help but clump down the hallway. He'd have to work on a way to make his suit stealthier; it made far too much noise as he walked down the deserted hallway. Nottingham would hear him coming for sure. Tony was using the HUD's scanners and detectors to try and locate Nottingham's exact position. He made it out into the massively huge West Hall exhibition area, section B. Nobody was in sight, and nothing showed up on his infrared now, which bothered him.

"Right on time, Iron Man," Nottingham said from up in the ceiling. He jumped down to land right in front of Tony. The drop had to be at least twenty feet or more, but Nottingham landed unhurt with the grace of an alley cat.

"Happy to oblige," Tony retorted. "Where's Vanessa?"

"Oh the younger Miss Devonshire is around here somewhere," Nottingham said in a deadly cold voice. "You'll just have to find her. And you'll have to get through me to do that."

"That shouldn't be much of a problem," Tony couldn't help but say arrogantly. "I'm the one in the suit, Nottingham."

"True," Nottingham conceded the point calmly, "but you don't have my training or my lack of compassion for my opponent."

_What the hell did that mean? _Tony wondered, and before he had finished the thought, Nottingham had lashed out with a side blade kick to Tony's armor-covered chest. It didn't hurt him, but the power behind the kick pushed Tony back and knocked him off balance. He righted himself quickly preparing to strike back at Nottingham, but the bodyguard assassin was nowhere to be seen. The reactionary force from hitting Tony's mass in the Iron Man suit enough to move him, had flung Nottingham far and wide, but Irons' bodyguard had apparently used that force to propel himself into some kind of hiding place.

_Where did the bastard go?_ Tony thought to himself in anger. It appeared defeating Nottingham was not going to be as easy as Tony had at first envisioned. He was going to be in for one nasty fight with Irons' top man. _I hope Violet has better luck than me._

Chambers had caught Violet totally unawares, which was unusual since the Witchblade senses should have warned her of his coming attack. He appeared suddenly in front of her as she touched down on the upper level floor. He was amazingly fast and hard hitting. He whacked Violet in the jaw with such force that, even covered in the Witchblade armor she felt it jar her, and it threw her back several feet, where she landed ungracefully on her back. Chambers had hit her with something really heavy duty. She couldn't figure out what it was; her eyes weren't focusing right after the hit she took.

Violet tried to regain her footing and senses as swiftly as possible, but Chambers was faster. He struck her again in the face, sending her reeling to the floor once more. She thought she even tasted blood in her mouth, and now her head was pounding. _What hell's going on here? _she thought in confusion and tried not to panic. _How's he getting the drop on me?_

"Good evening, Miss Devonshire," Chambers' low and ominous voice greeted her. "Can I call you Violet?"

"Go to hell!" Violet found herself yelling back at him.

"Oh come on, my dear, you're not up to a fair fight?" he asked of her.

"What in God's name are you talking about?" Violet demanded, very confused.

"Don't you think it's about time that the Witchblade met its match?" he questioned her back.

_There's another ancient weapon out there like the Witchblade?_ Violet couldn't believe it; didn't want to believe it. "Care to explain?" Violet said as she picked herself back up off the ground.

Chambers had come to stand right in front of her. He would have been handsome, except from the wick grin on his face. His dark, hazel eyes gleamed with an eerie light. "You really want to know, Violet?" he inquired softly.

She slowly nodded in response, all the while allowing the Witchblade's sword to grow and length in her right hand. In the blink of an eye, she had raised it and made to slash across Chambers' chest. Instead of meeting his Kevlar armor, she hit something thick and solid. A fierce clang resounded throughout the meeting room hallway. Violet's blow had been expertly blocked by another sword blade.

"Violet, I'd like you to meet Excalibur, the Witchblade's male counterpart," Chambers announced, indicating the sword he held, and Violet felt her jaw drop to the ground in shock.

TBC

**I would love to get some more reviews and get an idea of what people think. How am I doing? What do you think of the new plot twist? I miss those of you who were reviewing and then stopped. Please make my day by leaving a few thoughts for me. Thanks!!! More explanation will be forthcoming in the next chapter, never fear.**


	18. Chapter 18: Friend or Foe

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own any of the rights to anything Iron Man, that right goes to Marvel Studios/Comics. I don't own any of the rights to anything dealing with the Witchblade that right goes to Top Cow Productions. The only thing I claim as mine is any original characters I created and the plot of this particular story. No copy right infringement is meant. This is for fun and not for money.**

**A/N: Sorry for the long pause; real life decided to overrun me for a short time. This chapter has some big reveals in it and contains the Iron Man action that I promised. There will only be two more chapters after this, and then I will bring it to a close. I think twenty will be a nice round number to end with. I hope my readers enjoy this chapter; it was a difficult one to pull off correctly. Feedback on how I did will be most welcome, encouraged strongly even.**

**Thanks to AblatedCrayon for correcting my mistakes and thinking that I did a good job with this chapter; your opinion means a lot. Thanks also go to RID3RLVR (Ari) for her kind support and her wonderful enthusiasm. **

**Please enjoy the read and don't forget to tell me about your thoughts afterward. Reviews would really be nice!**

**-Ladyhawke Legend**

* * *

**Chapter 18**

**Friend or Foe?**

Violet felt like she had been backed over by a semi at Chambers' revelation. _This isn't happening. This isn't real_, her mind tried to deny it. The Witchblade sparked with power inside of her, its red ruby lit up like a Christmas tree, but it remained stubbornly silent. Violet couldn't get it to confirm or dispute what Chambers had claimed. Then suddenly it was like the Witchblade's power shut off. It deactivated its aggressive sword form, but it didn't leave Violet exposed without armor either. It seemed to be pulling back from the fight, hesitating. _What the hell is going on?_ Violet wanted to know.

"Who are you?" she found herself asking out loud.

Chambers backed off and let the sword in his hand deactivate as well, until all that remained was a metal glove and gauntlet encasing his right hand and arm up to his elbow; it held no jewel, however, looking far plainer in comparison to the one that Violet wore. Whatever the thing was on his hand and arm, it was not exactly like the Witchblade. The rest of Chambers' body was not encompassed by any metal. He had on a black Kevlar bodysuit with military boots, a vest, and what looked to Violet like a comm unit in his ear. His outfit was lightweight enough to allow him freedom of movement, but it also offered him some modest protection from bullets and sharp objects. His short, dark brown to black hair was still kind of slicked back, but it appeared wavier this time around. He looked like a member of a SWAT or commando team to Violet.

Out of a business suit, he was bulkier that she had first thought; his chest broad and his arms thick. He was quite tall too. Violet started as she realized he looked a little like Tony with the stubble he had growing on his face; last time she had seen him he had been clean shaven. His face was wider than Tony's, and his eyes were not as dark brown. Chambers was a bigger man than Tony was, and he wasn't as good looking as Tony, but something about him reminded her of him. Tony was a very masculine man, but this guy had a more rough-and-tumble masculinity about him. She wondered why she hadn't noticed that day at Vorschlag. She had been kind of preoccupied with other things at the time, but still she didn't know why she hadn't noticed the resemblance before.

"A friend," was his cryptic answer. His voice was deeper than Tony's as well.

"A friend?" Violet parroted voice full of doubt. "Why don't I believe that?"

"Because I haven't given you any reason to believe so; up 'til now," he responded with.

Violet felt his gaze rake her from head-to-toe; it made her shiver, but from fear or something else, she didn't know. He studied her intently, as if he were mentally comparing her to something or someone else. The intensity of his stare caused her to fidget. "What are you looking at me like that for?" she demanded, aggravated.

Chambers smiled a predatory grin. "Just studying the new wielder. You are so different from the others, but improved somehow. You are something new."

"Were you trying to throw a compliment in there somewhere?" Violet retorted. "Tell me who you are. And did you say something about Excalibur, like in 'King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table' and 'Camelot'?"

"The one and the same," he replied, his grin getting wider. "My name _really_ is Jack Chambers, although, my working for Kenneth Irons is all a cover. Keep your enemies close, nay? I come from a long line of men who have all wielded Excalibur much like you now are part of a long line of women who have all wielded the Witchblade. Arthur Pendragon was the first to come into possession of the sacred sword. My family has been part of its history ever since the fifth century A.D."

Violet caught the boast in his comments. "You're a descent of King Arthur?"

"Very good, Violet," he complimented her sarcastically. "You catch on quickly."

She ignored his tone, going for more information. "And Excalibur is an ancient weapon similar to the Witchblade?"

"Similar is the key word," he informed her. "It is like an earlier version of a computer program. It can perform a lot of the same functions, just not on the same scale as the later versions can."

Violet was having a hard time buying any of this, yet she could see the metal glove and gauntlet form on his hand and arm right in front of her. The Witchblade still gave her nothing; it was like it had isolated itself. It continued to protect her physically, but it offered her nothing else. It was starting to really scare Violet, and she always got mad when she was scared.

"You're lying!" she hissed at him. "Irons has sent you here to mess with my head. Well, forget it! I'm not falling for it!" With her last outcry, Violet lunged forward and returned the favor to Chambers by punching him in the face. She caught him off guard this time, and her fist met his face. Her hands were still covered in Witchblade metal, and so she broke his nose instantly.

Chambers staggered backwards, blood flowing from his nose, but he recovered quickly and struck out at Violet, trying to kick her legs out from underneath her. Violet avoided his sweeping leg movement and tried to kick him in his solar plexus. He expertly blocked her kick and shifted to her side, striking her in her ribs with his metal covered hand. Violet countered the punch with a downward block of her arm. The fight was filled with strike and counterstrike, neither one of them able to get the upper hand. Violet had only landed the one lucky sucker punch, and Chambers was determined to not let her hit him again.

"We can do this all evening, my dear, or you can stand down and hear me out," he said, his breath raspy from exertion.

"Why should I trust you? Where's my sister? If you've hurt her in any wa—," Violet exclaimed, but Chambers cut her off.

"She set you up, Violet," he told her bluntly. "Irons has poisoned her mind against you. He has convinced her that you killed your brothers. She thinks your parents' deaths were just an accident. Irons came in like the white knight and offered her a life of ease, security, and luxurious wealth. She fell under his spell. You can't trust her anymore. She was never in any real danger here."

"Why should I listen to you?" Violet said hotly, also gasping to catch her breath. "Give me one good reason."

"Because I've been ordered by Irons to kill your precious Tony Stark while Nottingham distracts him," Chambers confessed, "but I'm not going to do it. I'll make it look like I tried to, but I'll make sure that I fail and he lives."

"What?" Violet didn't know what else to say. "How were you going to kill him?"

"I have an electromagnetic pulse bomb that will fry every electronic circuit in that wanna-be suit of his," Chambers proclaimed, "but I'm not going to use it until he's far enough away that it will cause some damage, but nothing fatal."

"Why?" Violet wanted to know. "Why would you not follow Irons' orders?"

Chambers signed in exasperation. "I told you, I only work for Irons to hide among the wolves. My whole existence within Vorschlag is a façade. I work for the Brotherhood. My family is dedicated to stopping evil men like Irons, especially with his obsession for the Witchblade. Besides, Stark's genius shouldn't be wasted like that. He might do well as a member of the Brotherhood that protects Excalibur's secrets."

"How have you managed to keep your true identity a secret from Irons? How come he hasn't found out about Excalibur and tried to use the weapon himself? He's so passionate about the Witchblade; why wouldn't he be passionate about obtaining the male version of it? And more importantly, why is this the first time I'm hearing about this?" Violet fired off more questions. She was very miffed as she asked the last one.

"Haven't you noticed how the Witchblade's behavior has changed since coming into proximity of Excalibur? The Witchblade's power is dulled in Excalibur's presence, and vice versa, until they reunite and become one again. They share the same origins; they were designed to work together; they cannot be used in attacks against each other. That is why the Witchblade is silent. It knows its like creation and won't move against it.

" Irons wore the blade for a short time, thus he is blinded or blocked from knowing about me and Excalibur, even though we're right under his nose. He knows of the legend, yes, but even for all his research and time dedicated to looking for a counter to the Witchblade, he has never found any real, concrete proof it actually exists," Chambers explained. "We in the Brotherhood have been much better at keeping our secrets than those in care of the Witchblade." The last was almost said snidely, like Chambers was being condescending.

"That still really doesn't explain how you know so much about the Witchblade, yet I as a wielder of it, don't know anything about Excalibur. Why do you have so much information, and I so little?" Violet demanded angrily.

Chambers circled around her slowly, like a wolf stalking its prey. "Excalibur tends to be very forthcoming with its wielders, not leaving them in the dark like the Witchblade does. You will have to get your answers from the Witchblade, Violet. I do not know why it does not speak to you of its brother weapon, but its silence is something we in the Brotherhood have made good use of."

Violet used her oneness with the Witchblade to command it to return to its sword form. She felt it resist her; refuse to comply. This pissed her off even more than she already was, and she channeled all of her willpower to force the blade to extend. It took herculean effort, but Violet's strength of will won out, and the blade activated. With great speed Violet had it at Chambers throat. He had a look of total shock in his eyes.

"Tell me the truth, or I'll slice you a new breathing hole," she growled. "What's your game?"

"How are you able to raise the blade against me? The first time we raised them against each other was before they recognized each other, and then they only defended us," Chambers questioned, mystified.

"Answer me, Chambers," Violet said aggressively and pressed the tip of the blade so it poked his Adam's apple. He was still shocked into immobility; Excalibur seemed to be too, for it made no move to oppose Violet's actions.

"I _have_ been honest with you, Violet. I swear on my father's soul," Chambers' eyes were big, and his smugness was gone. "The only thing I've left out is that the Brotherhood believes the time is coming when Excalibur and the Witchblade will be reunited, and the two wielders will join with each other. Together they will issue in a new era of peace and prosperity. It has taken over a millennium for a proper Witchblade wielder to come along. The Brotherhood are convinced that _you _are _that_ special wielder, Violet; the start of a new bloodline. That wielder is said to be Guinevere to my Arthur."

Now it was Violet's turn to be shocked. She dropped the blade from Chambers throat, and the Witchblade eagerly used the opportunity to prevail against her, retracting its blade. "Excuse me?" she managed to ask.

"Two halves of the same whole, Violet, meant to be one; husband and wife, king and queen," Chambers elaborated further. "Excalibur realized it the instant the Periculum came upon you in Irons' meeting room, but I still need some convincing. I wanted it to be Sara Pezzini; she was extraordinary, but somehow Irons destroyed her. You've been a surprise at every turn. At first I thought you were weak, but I may have been too hasty in that judgment. The Brotherhood doesn't usually get things wrong; maybe it _is_ you." He gave her a heat-filled gaze then.

"Oh, no, no, no, no," Violet protested. "I don't think so. I've already found my Iron Prince thank you very much." Even the Witchblade stirred from its dormancy at the thought of Tony; red ruby lighting up again, and whispering all around them. "The Witchblade has been the one pushing my relationship with Stark. It has been trying to persuade me for quite some time that Stark is my match; it feels a connection to him. It doesn't hurt that he's a truly good man too. I've fallen in love with him, Chambers. He won my heart over, and I didn't make it easy for him. I'm not interested in anyone else."

"You mean a truly _rich_ man," Chambers said angrily. "He is like Lancelot of old; a traitor to the true king, and only a pretender to the throne. He isn't a member of a pure bloodline, like I am."

Suddenly, the Witchblade flashed a vision through Violet's mind. She came back at Chambers with the Witchblade's new information. "The Witchblade sampled his DNA; Tony's of a purer bloodline than you are. He has ancestry linking him to the society of its original creators. That's where his genius comes from." Violet gasped after these new facts came out of her mouth. _Oh my God! No wonder this thing has had a yen for him! _Violet's mind cried. _Why is the Witchblade just telling me this now?_

_Because your interest in Tony Stark had to come from your heart, not your head, _the Witchblade finally spoke to Violet mentally. _You needed to love him for the man he is, not for where he comes from. Your bond with the Iron Prince must be formed from your ability to understand his strength of character, not his genealogical origins. And he must not know yet, it is not time for it to be revealed to him. His genius is not an accident._

Violet wanted to ask the Witchblade about all the things Chambers was throwing at her, but as suddenly as the Witchblade had opened up to her, it now shut her out again, refusing to respond to Violet's line of inquiry. _You little shit_, Violet couldn't help but think. She would let it drop for now; later, however, would be another story.

Chambers' mouth was agape, and he was blinking rapid. Violet's pronouncement rocked him to his core. This had not been what he had expected to hear, or how he thought events would unfold. Stark couldn't be part of the Witchblade legacy; he just couldn't. _How could Stark be from a civilization long since dead and forgotten? Their genes couldn't have survived so many millennia undiluted could they?_ Chambers' own family had given centuries of hard work and dedication to Excalibur and its mission. He wasn't about to be cheated out of his birthright.

If the Brotherhood said this Witchblade wielder was the one, then she was the one. Chambers would have to find a way to win her over, and discretely distance her from Stark. Eventually, he might have to eliminate Tony Stark altogether, but not until Chambers had more answers and information. For Chambers, what he saw as Violet's infatuation with Tony Stark was only a small speed bump in the grand design. He needed to know the truth about Stark's genetic origins; they would change everything if they could be verified, however. Chambers could play the role of ally for now, and find ways to test Violet further and make sure she _was_ the one.

"If you're correct about Stark, then the Brotherhood will have to reassess the situation," Chambers lied to Violet. "I think it would still be advantageous for us to team up, at least to fight the forces of evil, if nothing else. For now, I must stay in Irons' employ until my ruse runs its course."

"Did you really allow yourself to be part of Vorschlag's _Black Dragon_ experiment, or were you able to fake that because of the exposure to Excalibur?" Violet decided to ask next. She moved away from him, unsure of how to act.

Chambers was backing off, not pressing the issue, which was a welcomed relief after the obsession of Kenneth Irons. Chambers might be a useful ally, if he proved to be trustworthy. He might know things about Irons that she could use against the wicked tyrant. She tried to use the Witchblade senses to feel for an answer about how good an ally Chambers could possibly be, or to see if she should keep her distance from him. The Witchblade wouldn't comply; it gave her absolutely nothing. _So much for being of one mind_, Violet thought bitterly. _What is its problem? This thing is going to really get a roasting when we're alone._

"An excellent question," Chamber replied. "I did, willing, let myself undergo the same conditioning that Nottingham and the other test subjects did. My cover had to be one hundred percent believable. Excalibur helped shield me from the blacking of the soul that the experiment tended to cause in the others. I didn't turn into a homicidal maniac like many did, nor did I become the cold-blooded murder Nottingham has become."

Violet turned back to face him, dumbstruck. _How powerful is this guy?_ she silently wondered. "Why don't you just take Irons out of the picture? Why let him use and murder wielders of the Witchblade?" she found herself wanting to know.

"He is their gauntlet, the test before and sometimes after the Periculum," Chambers informed her. "There is a reason the Witchblade does not kill him. It will eventually, but not until he serves its purpose. You must be careful around him, Violet," he stepped closer to her now, invading her personal space, "for he covets the blood in your veins. His first exposure to the Witchblade delayed his body's natural aging process, but without fresh DNA from a current wielder who has passed the Periculum, he will soon begin to age rapidly. It will make him more desperate to have you in his possession in some form. He wanted you as a companion, as he did the other two wielders before you. But in the end, you've all spurned him, seen him for the vile creature he is. He will stop at nothing to have you be his, alive or dead."

Violet knew that better than Chambers thought; her life for the past year had been nothing short of a living hell because of Irons. Now the bastard had Vanessa. "Can you help my little sister?" she inquired next, her voice cracking with emotion. Even though she felt Chambers was too close, she didn't move away from him this time.

Chamber saw his way in with this wielder; he would take it and use it. "I can try, if you wish," he said somberly. "Would that prove my good intentions to you?"

"It would be a start," Violet admitted.

"Then I will put great effort into helping your little sister," he said grabbing hold of Violet's moment of weakness, as well as one of her metal covered hands with his uncovered one. From watching how Kenneth Irons dealt with Violet, he'd learned that her family was always her Achilles' heel. Chambers now saw it as an opportunity gain her trust.

"Thank you, Jack," she finally said his first name. Violet gasped his hand in return; it felt right to accept the small comfort.

"It is an honor, milady," he responded with a bow. "Now before we part for a time, let's see if the Witchblade is up to a sparing match with Excalibur." He had suddenly changed topics.

Violet shook her head at him, confused. "I thought you said they wouldn't be used against one another."

"In real combat, to harm the other wielder, no they won't, but," he grinned devilishly at her, "to train and hone the skills of each wielder they will fight each other. It all depends on the purpose of their use." And faster than Violet could see, Excalibur activated into its sword form, and Chambers was rushing at her with it.

The Witchblade did respond this time, elongating itself into its sword form, and Violet instinctively brought it up to block Chambers maneuver. A harsh and loud metallic clang resounded throughout the hallway as the blades met, and the sword fighting lesson was on.

* * *

_Does this guy ever hold still?_ Tony thought in annoyance at Nottingham's ability to consistently and constantly avoid being hit by anything Tony threw at him. Tony was confident that if he could land one good and solid hit, Nottingham would be in serious trouble. Up until now, Tony had tried not to use any bullets or small missile projectiles he had in his Iron Man arsenal. He didn't want to damage the Convention Center. He'd used a few blasts of his repulsor rays, but Nottingham was too damned fast to catch in his sights for long enough. Tony had cringed as he broke lights and some of the plaster came off the walls. He'd have to pay for all his damage; not that he couldn't afford to, but it was the principle of the thing.

Tony was also worrying about Violet. Had she found her sister? Was she being forced to fight Chambers like he was fighting Nottingham? Was she hurt? He wouldn't let himself think beyond that. Making himself concentrate on the battle at hand, he used the suit to try and track Nottingham's movements at a more rapid rate. That helped, but getting a lock on Irons' bodyguard was still not as easy as Tony would have liked it to be.

"Come on, come on," he hissed to himself in frustration. Tony decided he'd go for Nottingham's pride, so out loud he said, "Quit playing games, Nottingham. Be a man and face me."

"If that is what you wish, Iron Man," was Nottingham's cool and collected reply.

He suddenly dropped down from the ceiling again a few feet away from Tony. Ian Nottingham landed with the grace of a large and predatory leopard. He was dress all in black, including a large and long trench coat that draped his lithe form. It swirled impressively as he fell to the ground and stood. In a flash of speed and movement, he pulled out two Israeli made Mini-Uzi submachine guns in his black, gloved hands. An almost instant scan by Tony's Iron Man suit told him all the specs. It could fire up to 950 rounds per minute, took 9x19mm Luger/Para bullets, weighed 2.7 kilos, had an effective range of 100 meters, was a blowback operated weapon, this one was an open-bolt type, and the shoulder stock was folded in, making the weapons smaller and easier to conceal.

Nottingham let loose with a barrage of fire, from both guns, straight at Tony. For the most part the suit would protect Tony, but he didn't want to stand around and be a stationary target either. He could hear the ping-ping of the bullets as they hit his suit and were deflected. The force of the gunfire and all the rounds coming at him at one, in automatic fire, did threaten to knock him of his feet, however. Tony fired his boot thrusters and his flight stabilizers, flying up and away from Nottingham. He tried to get out ahead of his enemies line of fire, but Nottingham expertly tracked him and kept the bullets hurtling at him.

The hailstorm of fire stopped for a short moment as Nottingham eject one magazine clip in each gun, to swiftly reload with new and full ones. The bullets had torn through the walls and ceiling of the West Hall's exhibition room; shredding insulation, shooting out lights, bursting pipes, and cracking plaster. Tony used the precious few seconds of Nottingham's pause in reloading to blast at the man with his repulsor rays. His aim was dead on, and Nottingham was struck right in the chest. The man in black was sent flying backwards into a wall. The force of the hit made a loud _thrump _of a noise, and the wall buckled a little under the impact.

_Got'cha now, _Tony thought happily, but then was sorely disappointed as Nottingham jumped to his feet and ran toward Tony, firing away again. _The bastard even held on to his guns!_ More bullets bounced and ricocheted off the Iron Man metal armor. It was starting to get dinged a little; that wasn't good. _What kind of rounds is he using? They must be armor piercing ones if they're making marks in the suit._

Nottingham continued to fire until he had to reload once more. Tony did his best to avoid being hit as much as possible, but there was little or no cover in the totally open and totally empty exhibition hall. Tony then decided to bulrush his enemy while he was preoccupied with reloading his weapons. The Iron Man suit added to his own movement's speed and added strength. He pounded into Nottingham, causing the man to drop his guns this time, and they both crashed to the ground. Tony hoped he'd crush the bastard.

When he felt a reverberating kick to his stomach, even through the armor, he knew Nottingham was still going strong. _Shit, what is this guy made out of? _Tony was pushed backward by Nottingham's strike, and Irons' bodyguard used the opposing force of the movement of his opponent to slide him a fair distance away and get up, ready for another attack. In another lightning fast move, Nottingham had armed himself again with two short-bladed swords. Tony couldn't help but laugh to himself. _He thinks he's going to get through my armor with those? This guy's really off his rocker._

Jarvis seemed to read his creator's thoughts for he said, "I'd be careful around those; the blades have diamond particles in them. How they were forged, I do not know, but they can and will cut through your armor. They appear to be like diamond saws used in construction."

"You're serious?!" Tony exclaimed to Jarvis out loud.

"Always, sir," was the response he got.

Tony resisted the urge to swear profusely. He had to think, not get upset. He could beat Nottingham. The man had little or no protection. He just had to find the right opening. Tony knew he could take him; he had too. It was time to take off the gloves, so to speak, and stop caring how much damage he caused the building. Tony initiated the guns that popped up from both his shoulders. He used his computer targeting system to lock onto Nottingham and fired several of the guns' large caliber bullets at his enemy.

Observing in utter amazement, Tony watched as Nottingham was able move out of the way of the incoming projectiles. The large caliber bullets took out sections of the wall behind Nottingham, leaving behind gaping holes. To Tony's relief, Nottingham hadn't been able to avoid all of the bullets. One had struck home, clipping his right shoulder. Tony could see the moisture of blood spreading out to darken the already dark trench coat.

"Nice try, Mr. Stark," Nottingham commented, not even breathing hard. He didn't even seem to notice that he'd been hit. "Is that all you've got superhero? If it is, it isn't enough." The blades of the swords, started to spin rapidly, just like a diamond saw. Tony knew that if they truly did function like that, they could cut through his titanium and gold alloy; maybe not quickly or all at once, but they might eventually get through.

Nottingham ran at Tony, and just as Irons' man got to him, he sprung up to Tony's chest level. Nottingham's feet actually used Tony's chest and one of his shoulders as stairs, climbing right up him. He then flipped over in the air, with stunning acrobatic ability, to land behind Tony. His motions were a blur and before Tony could react, Nottingham had his spinning swords positioned to strike at Tony's exposed backside. The man in black brought one sword down on Tony's right shoulder, and stabbed the other one in his back where Tony's vertebra met his tailbone.

The swords didn't cut fully through the gold-titanium alloy, but they came very close; another strike and they would. Tony felt them grind through the metal of his suit. Nottingham had trouble pulling the blades loose; they were stuck. Tony used his opponent's predicament to whip around on him, knocking him off balance. Tony whacked him hard with an armor-covered elbow, catching Nottingham in the chin and mouth. As Nottingham fell to the floor, the swords did come loose. Tony grabbed Nottingham by his coat lapels and tossed him almost clear across the exhibition hall. The swords were lying at Tony's feet, their spinning motion ceased.

Tony aimed his repulsor rays at Nottingham with enough power charged in them to blow the man apart, but he stopped. Pain radiated up from his the bottom of his spine and around his hips. It seemed as if the one sword had actually gone all the way through. The KAKS undersuit had been cut and appropriately releasing it pro-coagulant agents, keeping him from bleeding, but damage had been done. Tony felt his knees start to buckle as his legs shook and started to go numb. He fell to his hands and knees, groaning as more pain lanced through him. Nottingham must have injured some nerves.

While Tony was suffering, Nottingham had found his feet again, with blood pouring down from his mouth and down his chin. His nose was bleeding as well. He wasn't moving as fast as before, but he was making his way back to Tony, intent on the swords not far from Tony's position. Nottingham retrieved them and confronted Tony again.

"Irons wants your head," he informed the kneeling Tony. "I think I'll take it right off your shoulders, helmet and all." The spinning motion started up once again.

"Sir, do you want me to do as Miss Devonshire suggested?" Jarvis asked in Tony's moment of need.

"What, Jarvis?!" Tony responded with. "What are you taking about?"

Jarvis seemed to sigh. "She told you that Nottingham was susceptible to quick, strobing light. Do you wish me to use the chest repulsor to simulate quick, strobing light?"

"Don't ask Jarvis, just do it!" Tony exclaimed as Nottingham raised the swords in a scissor-like formation to take his head.

"Proceeding, sir," Jarvis replied calmly. A second later the chest repulsor that the mini arc reactor was part off shot off in rapid blinking and flashing strobes of bright light.

It was like someone had hooked up an electrode to Nottingham and thrown a switch to electrocute him. He froze, dropped the swords, and started to convulse wildly. He tried to back away and shield his eyes from the flashing illumination, but it was too late. The beam and its fast flickering pattern disable his highly sensitive primitive brain. His hypothalamus and limbic system were overwhelmed by too much stimulus.

Jarvis increased the speed and brightness of the chest RT, until Nottingham seized so hard that he lapsed into unconsciousness. "You need to restrain him somehow, sir," he now told Tony. "I am not certain how long he will be disabled."

Tony glanced around, trying to see and think through his pain. Tears had also welled up in his eyes, making it hard to focus. The sensors in his suit picked up on some exposed pipe in the wall to his left. "Remind me to add a painkiller to the mix in the KAKS suit," he tried to joke with Jarvis as he willed himself to move.

Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself to his feet and struggled over to the wall. Ignoring his protesting injury, he reached out and used the extra strength the suit afforded him and ripped a good section of pipe out of the wall. Water started to spray and leak inside the wall; Tony disregarded it. Forcing himself back over to Nottingham' supine form, Tony used the power of the suit to bend the pipe around the unconscious man's arms and torso, pinning his arms to his sides. He went and got another length of pipe, tore it from the wall, and bent it around Nottingham's legs.

"There, do you think that'll hold him?" Tony asked his A.I. as he collapsed onto his knees again, and then fell onto his stomach. "I think I'm in trouble, Jarvis."

"You appear to have sufficiently restrained the hostile," Jarvis answered. "And I do think your injury is quite severe. Shall I call for an ambulance, sir? Your vital readings are steadily growing weaker."

Tony groaned and mumbled an incoherent reply. He was passing out, the pain forcing his brain to shut down, just like the light had done to Nottingham. "Hold on, sir. I will get you some help right away."

* * *

The exhilaration she felt was unmatched by anything she had experience before. Violet met Chambers' sword move for move, thrusting, parrying, striking, and blocking like she had been trained in the technique for years. For this activity the Wtichblade was fully active, and Violet was at one with it. She used its senses and power to spar with Chambers. She was sweating profusely from the exertion inside the Witchblade armor, her heart rate was getting a good cardio workout, and her breathing was becoming labored. That didn't slow her down. She had Chambers on the defensive now, making him lose ground, and have to concentrate on blocking her blows instead of forcing her back.

The Witchblade seemed being enjoying itself as well. Violet felt its enthusiasm and excitement mingled in with her own. Part of her thought this was totally nuts, and the other part of her thought it was mind-blowingly fun. Every sense was attuned to the fight: the flash of a blade, the jangle of metal connecting, the smell of sulfur from their sparking, the feel of the power in her arm and hand, and the salty taste of her sweat. It was almost like she was someone else.

Just as she had Chambers backed into a corner, the Witchblade drummed a warning throughout her entire body. Violet stumbled, and Chambers used her hesitation and mistake to knock her off her feet. She didn't even feel herself hit the ground, for the warning of danger and urgency pulsed through her again. The strange sensation was followed by images of Tony lying unconscious on the ground. Vanessa was approaching him with some kind of weird looking device in her hands. The Witchblade translated Tony's pain and serious injury to Violet.

Chambers, finally realizing something was wrong, stopped a downward blow to Violet's exposed torso. "What is it?" he asked her, a frown creasing his face.

"Tony…," was all Violet could get out. The Witchblade still had her in vision mode, showing her Vanessa setting some dials on the device she was holding. Vanessa left it on the floor near Tony, and she was then attempting to pull Nottingham's pipe-restrained form out of the West Hall's exhibition area. "Vanessa…," Violet then whispered.

Chambers centered himself with Excalibur and used his weapon's senses to search out what Violet was seeing. Excalibur revealed to him that Vanessa Devonshire had pilfered from him the electromagnetic pulse bomb, set it, and left it near an incapacitated and very injured Tony Stark. The younger Devonshire was trying to escape the building with Nottingham in tow.

"Come on, Violet," Chambers commanded with quiet authority. "We have to go save your Iron Prince." He grabbed one of her still metal covered hands and pulled her to her feet.

It took Violet a few more seconds to come back to herself as she stood. "We can't let Vanessa get away, and we can't let Tony get fried," she said, shaking with rage now. "How could she?"

"I like said, Violet, Irons has really poisoned her mind," Chambers reminded her. "She will do anything he asks. I'll get the bomb and either disarm it or get rid of it. You go after your sister and Nottingham."

"How about I do both, Jack," Violet said fiercely, and the in the next instant her wings appeared and spread. She took off swiftly, diving over an upper level railing.

Chambers just stood there for a second, staring at where Violet had been. Then he vaulted himself over the same railing. He fell to the ground, landing with a soft _thud_, on his feet, and then he took off running after Violet. He could do the same things Nottingham could, plus having the added bonus of Excalibur and the abilities it gave him. Chambers knew he needed to help, but he had to be careful in how he did so. He still had to seem like the loyal Irons' employee he was supposed to be.

Violet reached Tony's position quickly. She saw the bomb on the floor next to him. She immediately grabbed it and examined it. She had less than two minutes to get Tony out of there. There was no time to go after her wayward little sister. Her lover was sprawled out on his stomach, down for the count it seemed. She noticed the good-sized hole in his back. He wasn't bleeding out, which relieved her a little. Then Violet heard sirens in background; backup was coming, and hopefully medical attention, but that would be all for not if she didn't get Tony out of here.

She set the bomb back down and went to Tony's side. She didn't waste time trying to rouse him. The Witchblade allowed her the strength to pick up Iron Man's dead weight. It still wasn't an easy task; Tony was bulky and his body larger in his suit. She settled for throwing him over one shoulder as gently as she could. He could have a severe spinal injury, and moving him could make it worse or even paralyze him, but she had to get him out of here. His whole suit and the chest piece were all electronic. The pulse could kill him, if the arc reactor was fried.

Chambers was suddenly by her side. "Get out of here!" he shouted as he lunged for the bomb and started to run away with it. As he ran he looked down at it and punched in a code to deactivate it. Nothing happened, the numbers still counted down; only a minute twenty to go. He pushed himself forward, taping into Excalibur for added speed.

Violet shifted to a cradle carry and was trying to fly. She just wasn't physically big enough to carry Iron Man. The Witchblade grew and stretched itself to hold Tony to Violet's body and helped her gain lift. She soared down the hallway and right out of the still open freight door. She flexed her wings to go higher and higher, trying desperately to get out of range. The metal part of the Witchblade holding Iron Man was solid and firm; there was no chance of it letting go of him.

She didn't know how far away was far enough away to keep Tony safe. Violet hoped Chambers could smash the device to stop it or something. Then she felt the wave as the pulse shot out from down below and spread outward with alarming speed. Suddenly, the Witchblade burst forth with some kind of shielding around her and Tony. As the pulse wave hit them, it was forced to go around Tony and Violet, not affecting them at all. It didn't take long for the shockwave to pass, but the force field stayed in place.

Looking down, Violet saw a number of SHIELD vehicles well outside the blast zone. They had held back, waiting to see what would happen. _Who called them in, and how did they know not to get too close?_ Violet wondered to herself. Right now she really didn't care; she was just glad they were there. The Witchblade was telling Violet that Tony needed medical care not now, but right now. If he didn't get to a hospital soon, he'd die.

TBC

**Darn it!! I did it again, didn't I? Will Tony be all right? How hurt is he? What will Violet do about her traitorous sister? The more reviews I get, the more motivated I will be to let you know what happens next. :) My last chapter wasn't reviewed very much and that was a major drag. Please make my day a little brighter and hit that little button down there. Thanks!!!!**


	19. Chapter 19: Thicker Than Blood

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own any of the rights to anything Iron Man, that right goes to Marvel Studios/Comics. I don't own any of the rights to anything dealing with the Witchblade that right goes to Top Cow Productions. The only thing I claim as mine is any original characters I created and the plot of this particular story. No copy right infringement is meant. This is for fun and not for money.**

**Rated T: For some language and romantic situations.**

**A/N: This is the second to last chapter; only one more to go after this and the story will be complete. I'm finally winding things up. Violet has another brief moment of self doubt about herself and the Witchblade, so Tony has to pull out all the stops to help her through it. I'm letting readers see and hear a little more from Violet's beloved, but untrustworthy little sister. And the Witchblade decides to trust Tony with some important and enlightening information. Hope readers like it.**

**I was so bummed with no reviews for the last chapter. Ouch! That hurt; seriously. I know people are reading because of the Favorite Story alerts I get and by checking the stats section on my account, but nobody is saying anything to me. Please take pity on me and leave a short and insightful review. I would really appreciate any kindness my readers could offer. There isn't much story left, and I really would like to know what people think. **

**I have to thank AblatedCrayon and RID3RLVR for all the hard beta work they do. Their sacrifice of time and talent is something I'm very grateful for. They rock!!!!**

**-Ladyhawke Legend**

* * *

**Chapter 19**

**Thicker Than Blood**

Violet paced the USC University Hospital's emergency waiting room like a caged tiger. Her gate had an anger to it, a nervous tension, and a barely contained fear. Pepper sat on a soft, light green couch, with a laptop resting on her knees and fielding calls from a hands-free Bluetooth headset hooked over her ear. The Witchblade rested in its unassuming bracelet form on Violet's right wrist. Pepper had thoughtfully found Violet some street clothes, a pair of jeans, a USC T-Shirt, purchased from one of the hospital's gift shops, and a pair of plain white tennis shoes. Pepper had also provided her with a set of undergarments as well. Violet had thrown her thick mane of hair up into a high ponytail to get it out of her way. Pepper was dressed in a light blue suit and matching skirt.

The SHIELD agents on hand had immediately taken Tony to the USC Hospital, entered in a back way, and secured an area of the Emergency Room just for Tony. The SHIELD agents had then requested that the on-call doctor get somebody from the USC Center for Spinal Surgery sent over to examine Tony right a way. As the Emergency Room staff attempted to stabilize Tony and tried to figure out how to find the best way to get his armor off, a beautiful African-American woman with graying hair named Dr. Leona Hendricks from the spine center showed up.

She was surprised to find that it was Iron Man in her care, but went about treating him in a very professional and efficient manner. She, too, found it a major problem to get the suit off of her patient. Luckily by this time, Lt. Colonel Rhodes was on hand, and he, together with some SHIELD agents and their resources, undid all the joints and rivets, and unsealed all the plates and screws, to get Tony out of the armor. The mini arc reactor threw Dr. Hendricks for a loop as well, but once it was explained to her what it was and its function, she marveled at it and worked around it.

A cursory examination of Tony's back wound took the doctor aback. She couldn't believe that it had clotted so well, and that he hadn't bled to death. His KAKS undersuit had really done its job. He was stable for the moment, but his blood pressure was a little low. His skin was ghostly pallid, and the doctor didn't like that. She would have to get him into surgery to find out the extent of the damage to his spine, muscles, tendons, nerves, major blood vessels, and other vital organs. To her the wound looked bad, deep, and possibly crippling.

Tony had been in surgery for about two hours when the silence between the two women was broken. "You're going to leave track marks if you keep pacing like that, Violet," Pepper admonished softly. "You need to sit down before you fall down, my dear."

Violet gave Pepper a sharp look, before saying, "You aren't the one who put him in that operating room, Pepper — _I _am. This is all _my_ fault," she wailed, grabbing the sides of her head. "We should never have split up. I should never have left him alone. I should have been there to watch his back. He didn't realize what Nottingham was capable of — _I_ was."

"From what you reported to Director Fury, Jack Chambers was keeping you pretty busy," Pepper said reasonably, trying to calm Violet down, and keep herself calm at the same time. She wanted to do what Violet was doing, pace back and forth, up and down the hallway, but one of them had to keep a cool head. It looked like it would have to be her, because Pepper had the experience and schooling to deal with crisis management of all kinds. Hell, she'd had to deal with Tony's abduction and his whole Iron Man crusade in the past. This was just one more crisis to manage. Pepper also wanted to run to Tony and be right by his side, but she knew that wasn't possible or prudent right now.

"I let him distract me," Violet said, still blaming herself. "I should have just walked away. I got caught up in something I shouldn't have, and it may have cost Tony his life. I'm cursed, Pepper, cursed. I should never have gotten involved with Tony. I should have left days ago, and never looked back. Everyone I get close to dies. I'm cursed," she repeated, hugging herself.

Pepper wasn't going to let Violet do this. That was the fear Irons had planted in Violet rearing its ugly head, not the truth. Tony had made his decisions and choices with open eyes. He put himself in harm's way because he wanted to, not because Violet had some big, black cloud following her around.

"Stop it, Violet, right now," Pepper said sternly, placing her laptop on the couch and standing. "Tony chose his battle. It was _his_ idea to split up." When Violet looked at Pepper in complete disbelief, Pepper elaborated where her knowledge came from. "I know him very well, Violet. He still has a lot to learn about working with others, instead of trying to do it all himself. The Avengers team will never work until he learns that lesson. And you need to let him love you. He needs someone like you in his life, someone to make him think of others first. I've never seen him as happy as he is around you. He's different, a better man." Pepper was speaking what she believed was the truth, but it was a punch to her gut as she said it to Violet.

Violet didn't know what to say. She just stood there rubbing her hands up and down her arms. Then the tears came and the sobbing began. Pepper was instantly at her side, hugging Violet close, and letting Violet cling to her. Violet returned Pepper's comforting embrace, crying into her shoulder.

"It's going to be all right, Violet. It's going to be all right," Pepper told the young thief tenderly, stroking her back, trying to relax Violet. Pepper wished she believed her own words. "Nothing keeps Tony Stark down for long," she added lightly.

They stayed in each others arms for quite awhile, Pepper soothing Violet, like a mother would her child. Finally, Pepper edged them toward the couch and sat with Violet's head resting on her shoulder, still holding on to Pepper for dear life. Pepper felt herself weep a little as well, finding her own solace with having a friend like Violet around.

A phone call from a Stark Industries board member interrupted their bonding moment. "I have to take this, Vi. Are you okay for a minute?"

"Yeah, I think so," Violet replied, wiping at her eyes and standing up. "You hungry? I'll go get something from the cafeteria or a vending machine if you'd like."

"Just some coffee, black," was Pepper's response. "Thanks," she added before she turned her attention to the board member on the phone.

Violet wandered off down the hall, feeling slightly better than a little while ago. She still felt that her decision to stay and try to be part of something had been a mistake. She had caused nothing but trouble since she came into Tony Stark's life. She was now thinking it was time to start running again. She could still help people, but not be around long enough for Irons to use those she came into contact with against her. She was tired of people dying or getting hurt because of her. Life was just so unfair. Violet wanted to rage against it all, but she didn't have the energy to do so right now.

_You should listen to Pepper, _the Witchblade's voice whispered to her in her mind.

"Now you want to talk," Violet snarled at it. "Well, maybe I don't want to talk to you! You have a lot of nerve saying anything to me, when you wouldn't say anything when I needed you earlier. What the fuck is your problem?!" Violet couldn't help but swear; she was just so angry. "You're the one that wouldn't give me any explanation about Chambers, which forced me to have to stay and listen to him, leading into that stupid mock fight, when I should have been helping Tony. This is all you're fault! I'm to the point, that Periculum or not, I'm just going to toss you!" A few people in the hallway gave her funny looks as it appeared she was yelling at herself or thin air. She didn't care anymore.

_That would be a very bad idea, Violet. We are one now. What happens to you happens to me, and what happens to me happens to you, _the Witchblade told her.

"We are not one enough," Violet hissed. "You shut me out today. You closed yourself off. I'm not going to go through that anymore. I'm done." She grabbed at the bracelet form to tear it off her wrist. Even though she knew it was partly infused into her, she'd rip it out if she had too.

The Witchblade tightened itself on Violet's wrist, refusing to come off. It clamped down hard, squeezing her. Violet gasped because it hurt. _You can't get rid of me. I'm part of you now, _it said plainly.

"Oh, ho-ho, watch me," Violet retorted. "I'll cut my hand off if I have to." And Violet went looking for something to do just that. "I'm through with you."

"Then do you mind if I take over?" a very familiar, feminine voice said, standing in the darkened doorway of a stairwell Violet was passing.

Violet spun around and all the colored drained out of her face. She had to lean against the wall to stay on her feet. Vanessa stood in the stairwell doorway with a sly grin on her lovely face. She was five years younger than Violet, and a little taller than her older sibling. She had dark brown hair, not the brunette of Violet's. Her eyes were hazel-blue, instead of the pure blue of Violet's. She had sharper features than Violet, higher cheek bones. Vanessa looked more like their mother than Violet did, who tended to take after her father. She was dressed in black leather pants and a black, short-sleeved top.

"Vanessa…?" Violet managed to gulp out.

"Hello, Vi." Vanessa's voice had a sinister edge to it.

"What are you doing here?" Violet found herself asking.

"I came to get Kenneth's property back for him," Vanessa informed her sister.

The way Vanessa called Irons, Kenneth, made Violet's skin crawl, and her sister said his name with such affection. It was enough to make Violet ill. "It doesn't belong to him, Ness. It never did," Violet explained.

Vanessa came out of the shadows towards Violet. She had a gun in her belt, but it stayed there; she didn't draw it on Violet. "Just give it to me, Vi," she said impatiently. "You just said yourself; you're through with it. You should never have taken it in the first place. It's because of you that Victor and Vincent are dead. And I can't believe how you and they lied to me all this time about your true occupations. You're a dirty, rotten, little thief, Vi."

Violet couldn't disagree with anything Vanessa said to her; she believed it all to be true. "I'm sorry, Ness," was all she could bring herself to say.

"Sorry isn't good enough, Vi," Vanessa spat and pressed Violet into the wall. "You destroyed our family. That's something I'll never forgive you for."

Violet felt like Vanessa had drawn the gun and shot her right through the heart. Her little sister's words burned through her mind like wildfire. She couldn't contain the tears that wanted to spill out again. Her whole world was falling apart, and it was all the Witchblade's fault. If Vanessa wanted the damn things she could have it.

"Take it then," Violet snapped through her tears. "Be Irons' little pet and watch how he corrupts you into something with no soul." She went to wrench the Witchblade off her arm and throw it at Vanessa, but it wouldn't budge. "It won't come off!" she cried, almost hysterical. "I can't get it off!"

"I know one way to retrieve it," Vanessa said menacingly. "I'll kill you." With that said she took the 9mm Beretta out of her belt and placed the barrel right against Violet's temple.

Violet didn't fight her off. "Do it, Ness," she rasped as she continued to sob. "End it for me, please!"

Vanessa obliged her by pulling back the slide, and placing her finger on the trigger. "You should have to suffer more than this, but I'll take what I can get."

"Drop the weapon! Hands in the air!" Violet recognized the deep voice of Director Nick Fury.

"Don't think it's gonna happen," Vanessa said coldly.

"I'll put a bullet through the back of your head before you can even think about pulling that trigger," Fury challenged her. "One last warning. Drop the gun, or I drop you."

Vanessa turned her head to look at the Director who was pointing a Sig Sauer pistol at her. A team of SHIELD agents was behind him, and she heard another set come up from the other end of the hallway. She was trapped. In her eagerness for the endgame, she had slipped up, concentrating too much on her treacherous sister.

"Get up!" Vanessa hissed at Violet, for she had slid down the wall, her legs giving out on her. Vanessa grabbed her older sister around the throat from behind, the gun still at her temple and pulled her toward the stairwell door. "You're gonna help me get out of here."

Violet still wouldn't fight back; instead, she let her little sister force her to her feet and closer to the stairwell. Fury tracked their movements with his eyes and his gun. He cursed Violet for not doing anything, for letting herself be a hostage. He felt damned lucky one of his men had caught sight of Vanessa on one of the video cameras surrounding the hospital, or Violet would be a body in the morgue right now. Hell, she still might end up there.

"Let her go, Vanessa," he ordered.

"Not a chance, Director," she drew his title out in a show of disrespect.

"So be it," he said with a voice full of ice. He fired his weapon as he got a bead right between her eyes, when Violet moved a bit to the right.

"No!" Violet screamed, commanding the Witchblade to life in the glove and gauntlet form to deflect the bullet from killing her sister.

It did just that. Vanessa was so stunned that she let go of Violet and backed away. Irons had told her of the Witchblade, and how Violet had stolen it from him to have all the power and glory it contained for herself, but to actually see her older sister use it was fascinating.

"Run!" Violet shouted at Vanessa, who met her sister's eyes for one moment before she flung herself through the door and fled down the stairs, as the other agents fired their weapons at her. Then she disappeared from Violet's sight.

"What the hell has gotten into you, Violet?" Fury demanded of her. He grabbed her and shook her hard, not caring about her metal covered hand.

"I can't do this, Director. I can't do it anymore," she sobbed, collapsing into him.

Not knowing what else to do, he found himself hugging her to him. "That's no reason to let your sister kill you or give her the Witchblade. Especially now that Stark's out of surgery," he said trying to get through to her.

"What?!" she exclaimed.

"Stark's going to be just fine," Fury told her. "The diamond blade missed his spine, and the nerves it damaged miraculously healed themselves. An extraordinary gift, I think, from his time with the Witchblade and his Periculum experience."

"Tony's going to be okay?" she asked in a stupor.

"Isn't that what I just said, Miss Devonshire?" Fury said in a playful tone, happy she was finally coming back to herself.

"He's not going to die or be paralyzed?' she asked, trying to understand.

"No he's not," Fury said, helping Violet to stand on her own again.

The Witchblade's red ruby glowed a deep red and whispered all throughout the hallway. _Don't give up yet, Violet. If you will be patient a little while longer I will reveal all to you. I promise, _it told her soothingly.

"You really promise?' Violet asked, wanting to believe, but not quite able too.

_I really promise, my dear sister, _was the answer the Witchblade gave her. _I will prove to you that our bond is thicker than blood._

Fury was not sure what was going on, but hoped it was something good. "Come on, Miss Devonshire; let's go see your Iron Prince. I'm sure he'll be anxious to see you too."

The Witchblade returned to its bracelet form, and Violet allowed Fury to guide her back down the hall towards the Recovery Room. Stark was going to have to do some real sweet talking to keep Violet from bolting once more, and it seemed that he would have to convince her to not give up her fight for good as well.

* * *

Tony was tired, but his pain was totally gone. The overprotective doctor seemed to think he needed to say in the hospital for the rest of the night and into the next day to make sure he was really going to be all right and make a full recovery. He felt fine; he wanted to go home. He had even been able to eat after the anesthetic wore off. He was off the oxygen, but they still had an IV in him for extra fluids and antibiotics, just to be on the safe side, and had him hooked up to a heart monitor. He hated being in the hospital. He didn't use to have to go to one very often, but lately it seemed like that's all he did. He had spent about a half an hour in the Recovery Room, and then they moved him to his own private floor. That was better than nothing, he guessed.

Fury had come and talked to him about what had happened, chewed him out thoroughly, and discussed Violet's state of mind. The last part worried him; a lot. Tony felt he was losing her, and he didn't like that feeling at all. She had come and seen Tony in the Recovery Room and had been initially excited and happy to find him in a good condition. He had his color back, and his glibness was still intact. As the short visit went on, however, Violet became more and more subdued and withdrawn. That's why a bit later Fury talked to him alone for quite some time. The SHIELD director was concerned she was going to run away. He told Tony all about Violet's confrontation with Vanessa, and how Violet had tried to give the Witchblade to her because she had given up on it. Tony was scared that Violet had been pushed over another kind of cliff. He hoped he could pull her back to safety; he'd use everything in his arsenal to do so.

The door to his room opened slowly, and Violet's beautiful face popped through it. "Can I come in?" she asked hesitantly.

"Absolutely," he told her with a grin and patting the bed for her to come join him, trying to hide his fears.

Pepper had left only a few minutes before to go get some rest. The doctor and her staff had made up a cot for her in another room of the secured private floor; having a multibillionaire boss sometimes had its perks. She wouldn't be far away, but she could try and get some sleep. Agent Coulson had taken over answering emails and phone calls about the incident at LACC. Pepper and Tony had had a good talk as well. She'd balled him out, but gently. Tony learned that it was her that had asked SHIELD to be in position to back Iron Man and Iron Maiden up if they needed it. It was Jarvis, however, that was able to warn them about the EMP bomb and let them know that Tony had sustained serious injury. Pepper had also discussed her worries about Violet with Tony, complementing a lot of what Fury had told him about her loss of confidence.

Violet had with her a stunningly yellow sunflower in a green pot she'd picked up at a flower shop just down the street from the hospital. Fury had taken her out to breakfast and to let her take a walk in a near by park. She had some serious thinking to do. It was now late morning. "I thought you could use something more cheery in here, even if it's only for a short time." She set the sun flower on the tall, swiveling table next to his bed.

"You're all the cheery I need," he said, trying his best to be provocative in a hospital bed.

Violet seemed to ignore the comment. "I need to talk to you, Tony," she said very seriously. Before he could respond, she plowed ahead, standing beside the bed. "I'm leaving California. I can't stay here anymore. I'm too dangerous for anyone to be around for long. I appreciate you making the effort to try, but I think it's for the best."

Tony was sure the heart monitor's alarm would go off because it felt like his heart had stopped beating. Violet had just confirmed what everyone else had told him. "Come closer, Vi. I want you to look me in the eye and say that again," he said commandingly.

She hesitated, but came forward toward the bed, closer than she had been. Tony used her closer proximity to his advantage; he sat up more fully and reached out grabbing her hand. "Tony, don't," she argued.

"Please don't go, Violet," he begged with a soft voice. "Don't leave me, sweetheart. So we had a setback; they happen. I'm fine now, and I'll be more careful next time; cross my heart. I'm learning how to do this superhero thing as I go too, you know. I need you." He used what strength he had to pull her closer, so she was almost in the bed with him. _At least she's not calling me Stark, _he thought wryly.

"You don't need me, Tony," Violet insisted, trying to keep from falling on top of him. "You can have any girl you want, you don't need to settle for me, and you've got Pepper."

Tony felt himself getting angry, and he tried to control his temper. Violet was being so irrational. "I want _you_. You're the girl I want, Violet. And yes, I have Pepper. She's great, but she isn't _you_. Running away is not the answer here. You've got to stay and fight. Don't give up and let the bad guys win. I'm here for you."

Violet wanted to fight him, push him away, but his hand clutching her arm, pulling her close to his warm body, made her hesitate. She looked at him, and her heart skipped a beat. He was so handsome even lying in the hospital bed. No man had every really needed her before, not like Tony was meaning. Pepper had said that he acted differently around her, was a better person. It was nice to hear him offer to give her support too.

Sitting up even more, Tony found her mouth with his and kissed her smolderingly; ignoring all the things he was hooked up to. Violet leaned into him and let the kiss grow and linger for a long time. When she at last broke the kiss, she realized she was lying in the hospital bed with him.

"Stay with me," he sued her humbly, giving her that lost, little boy look that she couldn't resist.

Violet looked at him for many heartbeats; his heart monitor ticking them off audibly. "Do you practice that look in a mirror to always get what you want?" she suddenly asked.

"What look?" he inquired back at her, feigning ignorance. "I'm not trying to look any certain way."

"You're such a liar, Tony," she accused him good-naturedly. "You know exactly what you're doing."

Tony brushed her cheek with his hand that was free of tubes and wires. "Is it working?" he then wanted to know, a coy smile tugging at his lips.

"A little," she admitted, helping him stroke her face by rubbing her skin against his hand.

"Then apparently, I need to practice it a lot more, because it should work flawlessly," he joked, hoping to lighten Violet's melancholy.

Violet shift slightly to lie against him more comfortably and to make sure she wasn't interfering with any of his tubes or wires. "I'm sorry, Tony," she whispered.

"For what?" he asked not understanding.

"For playing games with Chambers when I should have been watching your back with Nottingham," Violet confessed the sin she thought she had committed.

Tony now shifted to look at her face. "What are you talking about?"

"Fury probably told you about how Chambers has become a very ambiguous figure. That he wields Excalibur, and how it's very similar to the Witchblade. That he claims to be working undercover at Vorschlag, and that he supposedly wants to be an ally," Violet explained.

"Yeah, Fury told me all that enlightening information," Tony confirmed for her, and he didn't like it one little bit, "but what does that have to do with you feeling sorry for something?" It was mind-blowing to learn that there was some truth to the famous Sword in the Stone and King Arthur legends. It also bothered him that the Witchblade and its wielder had a male counterpart; he didn't like the thought of competition for Violet's affection. Violet was _his_ Iron Maiden.

Violet sucked in her breath, and then blew it out. "I don't know what to think about him or his assertions. He professes to be on our side, but yet something in my gut tells me to be wary of him. At first we had a bit of a scuffle, but that led to a revealing discussion. Once we were done talking, I should have left him and come to your aid. He challenged me to a sparing duel to test ourselves, and I couldn't resist. I got too into it, almost like I was someone else, not myself. I let you down, Tony. I was playing around when I should have been helping you."

"Don't you think that Chambers could have been purposely distracting you, so you couldn't come help me?" Tony questioned, and added mentally, _Not that I really needed it. Well — maybe I did. It's that prideful attitude that put me here. I've gotta watch that I suppose._

"That thought did cross my mind," Violet said carefully, "but I'm not totally sure what his true motivation is. I think he got caught up in our little sparing match too. I don't trust him fully either, though. My biggest frustration is that the Witchblade won't give me any kind of information to support or deny any of his claims. Even though we're supposed to have become one, it's still keeping secrets from me. I just can't deal with all this anymore." She was starting to cry once more, and she tried to stop herself. She wasn't going to break down again.

"I will agree with you that your armor is a pain the ass," Tony couldn't help but say. The Witchblade scared the shit out of him, no two ways about it, but he wanted to believe it had good intentions. He hugged his lover tightly to him, rubbing her back soothingly. "Maybe it's just waiting for you to be ready. Maybe you need some preparation first, before it reveals everything to you." _Did those wise words just come out of my mouth? Damn. _"And it did help you save my life, again," he added.

Violet turned to look into Tony's eyes. "Where did that come from?" she asked surprised by his counsel.

"I _am_ a genius you know," he said glibly.

She rolled her eyes at him and slugged him gently in the arm. "Whatever, T. Do you really believe what you just said?"

"It makes sense, doesn't it?" Tony answered her question with one of his own.

"I guess," Violet said looking away. "But what about Vanessa? My baby sister thinks I'm the devil, Tony, when it's the devil that has her in his power."

"Don't go blaming yourself for that too," he told her sternly. "Vanessa is a grown woman, who is free to make her own choices. If she chooses to let Irons control her, then that's her decision, not yours. She's free to act or be acted upon, and she's choosing to be acted upon. You can't change that. If down the road she sees the light, you can welcome her back with open arms, until then, you'll have to accept that she's your enemy. It sucks sawdust, I know; believe me I've been there."

Violet caught his inference. "Obadiah," she stated more than asked.

"Obadiah," Tony replied with a catch in his throat. He cleared his throat, and then said, "I know how you feel, Vi. I've been there, done that. He wasn't a blood-relative, but he was like one. Some relations are thicker than blood ones. It still sears pain across my heart to think about his betrayal, and how he tried to kill me. It was so hard to believe my best friend and father figure could do that to me. Right up until the end, I held out hope, he'd come back to me, but he chose to die instead."

Tony's face was now wet with a few tears that escaped his eyes. Violet reached up and wiped them away, snuggling into him. _Why is it that despite it all, in his arms is where I feel safe? _she wondered to herself. Out loud she asked, "You really want me to stay?" It came out so quietly Tony almost missed it.

He didn't know why Violet needed so much reassurance, but he'd give her as much as she needed. "More than anything," he replied wholeheartedly. "I think I'm beginning to understand just want love is, Vi. It's taking all the good and bad that come with a person, and not giving up on them. It's helping someone through the difficulties they face, and letting them help you through yours. Although," Tony paused a moment and turned seductive, "I find the physical aspect of love to be the most enjoyable part." He couldn't help but express that; it was just part of who he was. He also let Violet know that his interest in that area had been aroused with her so close.

"You would," Violet found herself laughing at him, at the same time as he touched her heart. The womanizing playboy _did_ know how to really love someone. "And you'd better calm yourself down. We're in the hospital, Tony. You're still recovering from what could have been a paralyzing injury."

Tony wasn't about to give up. "I've never done it in a hospital bed. It could be fun," he wriggled his eyebrows at her suggestively. He playfully tried to untuck her T-shirt.

"How can a good man be so bad?" Violet teased, letting him seduce her. It was an excellent way to forget about all that had happened; at least temporarily. She normally would never do something so risqué as what he was proposing, but Tony brought out the daredevil in her. "You sure you feel up to it?"

That was a really dumb question; he was definitely up for it. "I think it is just what the doctor ordered, Vi," his voice had grown very husky as slid his hand up under her T-shirt at last. He let his lips brush hers, and then he nibbled her lower lip.

"You think we'll get caught?" she said just a breathless as him. How he could do that to her in just a few seconds, she didn't know.

"Remember, that can be half the fun," he said and covered her mouth completely with his. The heart rate monitor began to reflect just how excited he was.

"I guess we'll find out," she replied as she gently straddled him, and kissed him deeper. He was all she wanted right now. She wanted him to love her how only a man could love a woman. She needed its outward physical expression right now.

The nurse in charge of the floor, sitting at the main desk, looked up and over at the readings from the famous Tony Stark's room. His heart monitor was letting her know with an alarm that her patient was under duress. She quickly grabbed his chart and rushed off to his private room that was part of the private floor, all the way down the hall at the end. As she came through the door, it took her by complete surprise to see he was not alone and engaged in an intimate and ageless ritual.

Her first response was to stop the action immediately, as her patient was supposed to be recovering from spinal surgery. But then as she thought about for a few seconds, she wondered what would happen to her if she interrupted_ the _Tony Stark, Iron Man himself, in the middle of something like that. She might lose her job, be sued, or something equally terrible. She had also taken an oath to make sure no harm was done to a patient under her care, and Dr. Hendrickson would probably come unglued at what he was doing. It was a tough call to make. If the man actually felt like having sex, then he was probably all right to have it. As she glanced at his chart again, she noticed that he was here only for observation, to make sure he had fully recovered from his injury. Obviously, he had.

The pleasurable moans coming from the couple in the bed, made her decide to close the door, walk away, and pretend she hadn't seen a thing. If the man hurt himself, it would be his fault, not hers. She was not going to risk Tony Stark of Stark Industries and Iron Man fame's wrath. The doctor's wrath she could handle and accept. The man sure lived up to his playboy and philandering reputation. He couldn't even stay in the hospital with getting some action. She shook her head in amazement and a little disgust. _Ahh, to be rich and famous,_ she laughed to herself as she went back to her station.

* * *

_I hope Violet really knows how much I love her, _Tony thought to himself as Violet slept, at last, in his arms. Even though he was utterly exhausted and needed sleep too, his mind was too keyed up to let him relax enough to actually drift off. _How did this happen to me? Why am I so lucky? Pepper said Violet thought she was cursed, that she had thought she had brought nothing but trouble for me, but the truth is now that I'm actively fighting the good fight, trouble will find me anyway. Violet is a blessing in my life, not a curse. She's the best thing that has happened to me in a long while, and I will not ruin it this time. If I really look at the situation, _I _don't deserve _her_._

_Oh, yes you do, Iron Prince, _the Witchblade essence told him, suddenly filling his mind. _Don't underestimate yourself._

Tony noticed that the ruby jewel in the bracelet on Violet's wrist was glowing a bloody red and swirling with white mist. He also noticed his chest piece glowing brightly in return. _Why does it do that? Why does it react that way to the Witchblade?_

_Concurrent energies, similar operating principles, related technologies, _the Witchblade whispered to him. _The same, yet not the same; mirrors of each other. Two ways of achieving the same goal._

It was speaking to him in riddles again, but he understood them a little more this time, catching a hint of what they meant. While it was talking with him, he thought he'd try to question it a little. _Will you come clean with Violet? Stop keeping her in the dark? _he wanted to know. _It's tearing her apart that you're still keeping secrets from her. I thought you two had fully bonded or something like that._

_The time is coming for all that, Tony Stark, but not yet. Violet is almost ready, and so are you. Good things come to those who wait, _the Witchblade answered.

Tony suddenly had a strange and strong epiphany. The Witchblade was also waiting, having to be patient with Violet. There were things she had to experience to remove her doubts and put her in the position for the Witchblade to be able to share itself completely with her. It wasn't that the Witchblade didn't want to tell Violet everything; in fact, it desperately wanted to, but it was Violet that was making it hold itself back. When Violet was ready, it would freely reveal all to her. Once Violet was free of her doubts, nothing could be held back from her. Tony also got the feeling that the Witchblade, in its own way, cared deeply for Violet, and hated the limitations that were put on it; Violet's lack of faith was its biggest obstacle in telling her everything.

_That is what I'm tasking you with, Iron Prince, _it made it clear to Tony. _You need to help purge her of her doubts. Help her develop more confidence and trust; increase her faith._

_And what if I can't, or worse, what if I increase her doubts, add to her lack of trust?_ Tony felt very inadequate right then.

_If I had any reservations about who you really are Tony Stark, I would never have given you a second look, _the Witchblade was blunt. _You are exactly the one to do this. You need the experience as much as she does. Embrace it, and I will help you._

Tony thought about that for a long time. _What about Vanessa? Is there any hope for her? Can she and Violet reconcile? I know it's eating Violet up inside; their family. _He tried to be direct with the ancient weapon.

_There is always hope, Tony, always. Destiny is not something set in stone; it is fluid and ebbing, _the Witchblade explained.

That was finally an answer that made Tony feel better. He thought he'd push for one more. _Care to share anything with me about Chambers and Excalibur?_

The Witchblade grew silent, and Tony thought it wasn't going to say anything more, but he was wrong. _This is for you and you alone, Iron Prince. If you tell Violet, you won't live to regret it. Understood?_

Tony started in surprise, and blew out the breath he'd been holding. _Understood,_ he responded. He couldn't believe it was going to open up to him; he wasn't a wielder, but for some reason the Witchblade trusted him and deemed him ready to know some of what it knew. As Tony mulled that over, it was kind of comforting. He was thinking that maybe the Witchblade wasn't as hardnosed as it pretended to be.

_Excalibur is a piece of me; a part separated from the whole. I am ashamed to admit that I can't recall how it happened. It shouldn't have. It fell into the hands of men, who started out with noble intentions and were able to manipulate it for their purposes. The part lacks the control and cohesion of the whole. It has gaps in its mission and original function, leaving it susceptible to outside influence. The men who have used it have contaminated it, corrupted it, if you will. This is a weakness that I have not wanted revealed. I'm not complete without that part of myself, but I cannot allow it to rejoin the whole until it is purified again. Those who wield it are under many mistaken philosophies about it as well. _Tony couldn't believe the Witchblade was confessing this to him of all people, and not Violet.

The blade went on, _Chambers could go either way; his role depends on his own choices. He, too, is tainted by the false traditions of his fathers. If he could learn of the truth and believe it...things might be different. Be careful around him, Iron Prince. It has taken me ages to find you, who are like family to me. Remember Yinsen's words and do not waste your life; not when you have the power to do so much good. And when I know that Violet has enough faith in me not to let this weakness of mine matter, I will tell her about it._

Tony's fear of the Witchblade suddenly felt unfounded. It seemed to genuinely care about him too, for some reason. _What does it mean; that I'm like family to it? Is it because of my relationship with Violet? _His head was spinning with new questions. He couldn't believe it was embarrassed about Excalibur's existence in front of Violet.

_I've told you enough for now, sufficient for your needs. Ponder and study out what I have said. The knowledge and truth will come to you if you actively seek it, _the Witchblade told him, knowing his thoughts. _Now sleep and gain your strength back. Be there for Violet, and be assured that good always wins over evil, just not easily or without much hard work and sacrifice._

The glows of both his chest piece and the ruby jewel faded then, leaving Tony to finally drift off into the much needed and necessary sleep his body craved. For once it was a dreamless and deep sleep. Tony Stark was finally the man who had something of real value now. He was no longer the possessor of trivial things, but of what mattered most: love for another and from another.

TBC

**So what's the verdict? Good chapter? Bad chapter? Feedback please!! Remember only one last chapter after this to kind of bring everything together.**


	20. Chapter 20: An Unholy Alliance

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own any of the rights to anything Iron Man, that right goes to Marvel Studios/Comics. I don't own any of the rights to anything dealing with the Witchblade that right goes to Top Cow Productions. The only thing I claim as mine is any original characters I created and the plot of this particular story. No copy right infringement is meant. This is for fun and not for money.**

**Rated T: For language and romance.**

**A/N: Here is the conclusion to my humble, little story. I tried to tie things up and get to a conclusion. It is so thrilling to say that I have actually finished another story. I am slightly melancholy about it as well, however. I have been working on the story for almost a year now, and even though it is a great accomplishment to me to have it done, I'm sorry to see it end.**

**I have a big favor to ask of my readers. Since this is the last chapter of my story, can as many of you as possible please leave a parting review for me? Just take a few short minutes to let me know what you think about either this last chapter and/or the whole story in general. This will be the last chance I will get to really hear what readers think. Also, I enjoyed writing this story so much that if inspiration strikes me and when I get some other stories finished, I might write a sequel. If when you leave a review, could readers please weigh in if they would like me to write another story with Tony interacting with Violet and the Witchblade universe? I would really appreciate it so very much.**

**Thanks need to go once more to AblatedCrayon for his tireless effort to help my work come forward. He not only helped me fix all my silly mistakes and offered well-thought out advice, but his support and encouragement really made a difference for me. Thanks, as well go to RID3RLVR (Ari) for double-checking everything and her wonderfully supportive attitude and encouragement. I want to thank all my readers and reviewers too, for making writing this story a grand adventure. You all rock!!!!**

**-Ladyhawke Legend**

* * *

**Chapter 20**

**An Unholy Alliance**

It wasn't that Kenneth Irons didn't admire the beauty with him in his bed, or that she didn't bed him well, but she just didn't measure up. She was a willing student in all the arts he had to teach her, but she wasn't who he really wanted. She filled the space for the time being, was a warm body to have on cold nights, but Vanessa was not Violet. As he observed her sleeping form pressed up against his own, he was suddenly overcome by the desire to strangle her, choke the life out of her. He calmly resisted the urge, but let it play out in his mind for some form of satisfaction.

Irons was angry at her for going and confronting Violet at the hospital the way she had. It had been too impetuous, something only someone young and inexperienced would do. That was Vanessa Devonshire to a tee. Her enthusiasm often outstripped her common sense, which was how he had gained control over her in the first place. Vanessa had, however, revealed to him that Violet's resolve was weakening. She had been willing to give the Witchblade away, even after she had survived the Periculum. Her love for her little sister would be her undoing. Vanessa was the key to breaking Violet completely, and compelling her to come back to him. Vanessa would live, for a while longer, until Violet and the Witchblade were his once again.

The platinum blonde, multibillionaire was also sorely disappointed in both Ian Nottingham and Jack Chambers, but less with Chambers than Nottingham. Jack had done a good job keeping Violet occupied, while Ian went after Stark. He somehow dueled with her and the Witchblade, miraculously keeping up with both wielder and the ancient weapon thanks to his exposure to the _Black Dragon _experiment. Irons wished that his CFO could have stalled her just a little longer, so Violet wouldn't have had enough time to get Stark away from the EMP bomb. Irons was happy to hear that Ian had been able to seriously wound Stark, but somehow the technical genius knew about Ian's one weakness, and at the last minute, used it against him. His plan had been so perfect, but it always seemed to happen that no one could carry it out to his liking or to its success. Vanessa had at least done her part in that affair very well.

Nonetheless, Irons needed Violet and soon. He had to have more and more frequent injections of a serum made from Sara Pezzini's blood to stay alive and looking in his prime. Violet's blood would soon be his only source of the fountain of youth he had stumbled across in his dealings with the Witchblade; a way to cheat death. Irons wondered just how much longer he could wait until it was too late. He didn't want to find out.

Pulling away from Vanessa, he laid on his back, centering himself on Violet. If she was at odds with the blade again, he might be able to use his tentative connection to her to invade her mind or her dreams if she was sleeping. He could feel her essence faintly, as if through a thick fog. He concentrated harder and found her.

She immediately sensed him and tried force him out, but he grasped the thread of his connection to her and held fast, throwing up a mental barrier to distract the Witchblade for a moment. For a short time Violet was his, even if it would be fleeting.

"Why must you always fight me so, Violet?" he questioned her as he pictured her in Vanessa's place in his bed. He grabbed her around her upper torso, pinning her arms at her sides from behind.

"I won't let you do this, Irons. I won't!" she shouted at him, struggling mightily to get away from him. "You have no power over me."

He smiled into her neck, letting her feel his entire body slide along hers. "Don't I? You willing tried to give the Witchblade away to a Pretender, not a real wielder. That lets me get my foot in the door."

His statement made Violet work to get away that much more, but he held her fast, languishing in how she rubbed against him. He had to bite his lip to keep from moaning. "This can all end, if you just give yourself to me," he tempted her. "I'll even let Vanessa go if you do. She doesn't have to die, Violet."

That halted her resistance. "Please don't hurt her. Please," Violet begged, letting him turn her to face him.

"I won't, if you agree to serve me," he offered, indulging in kissing her neck, chin, and then her lips. That caused her to squirm again. "All you have to do is say yes. One simple, easy word. Be mine, Violet, and Vanessa is free."

For one split second he thought she was going to actually say it, but then pain burst throughout his mind, burning and searing. He felt the Witchblade lash out at him violently and full of anger. It severed his connection with Violet once and for all, unleashing power Irons had never felt before. The pain tore through his entire nervous system causing him to writhe in agony. His interlocking circle scar burned as if his blood were on fire. He finally cried out, overcome with suffering he had never experienced before.

_Your days are numbered, Usurper, Evil One, _the Witchblade spat at him. _Be warned. You've stolen what is not yours, tried to defy the laws of nature. Well, no more._ Then the Witchblade withdrew completely, taking back everything he had ever gained from it. A fiery power ripped it from him in a torturous pull and twist. He no longer could feel Violet or the Witchblade. They were gone, and nothing remained.

Vanessa awoke to his convulsing and screaming. What she saw terrified her. She screamed as she watched him age rapidly into an old, crippled, and wasted being. Ian Nottingham came barreling into the room to see his master huddled and shaking as Vanessa got off the bed and backed away from him. Nottingham didn't know what to do; he was too shocked to move.

"What's happening to him?" Vanessa asked hysterically.

"Get Dr. Krauss," Irons rasped with a weak and pathetic voice. "Now, Ian!" he demanded of Nottingham, but it came out more like a squawk than a harsh command.

"Yes, master," Nottingham said obediently. He bolted from the room to get Irons' personal physician.

This couldn't be happening. The Witchblade couldn't do this to him. He would find a way to overcome it. He would not die, not now, not like this. His body spasmed in protest, trying to convince him he was dying.

* * *

Tony, Violet, and Pepper had all collapsed on his white circular couch in his circular living room. The doctor had released Tony from the hospital and finally let him go home, after reading him the riot act for having sex in the hospital. Pepper about clobbered him when she found out, and she wasn't very happy with Violet either. _If I get one more ass chewing, I won't be able to sit down ever again, _Tony joked to himself, forcing his guilt away. He had messed up, been cocky, and underestimated his opponent. He would not do it again.

They had all driven home in silence in Tony's Rolls Royce Phantom limo with Happy in the driver's seat. Rhodey had retrieved all the Iron Man armor and brought it back to Tony's house and placed it in his workshop. Once home and through the door, Tony, Violet, and Pepper only made it to the couch before they all had to sit or lay down. Tony was walking and moving just fine, but the whole experience had left him trashed; Violet and Pepper too, now that things had settled down. They had slept a little at the hospital, but it was not nearly enough.

Pepper was the first one to notice that Violet was having a nightmare. She tried to wake Violet, but the young thief wouldn't revive. Pepper whacked Tony awake to help her help Violet. When Violet didn't response to Tony either, they really started to worry. The nightmare seemed to get worse and worse. Tony went to embrace her to comfort her, but she fought and railed against him in her sleep. He had a strange feeling Irons had something to do with this.

Violet needed help and fast. He grabbed hold of her wrist and the Witchblade, trying to will the blade to come to her aid. At his touch the Witchblade fired to life, glowing, swirling, and whispering. It compelled Tony to touch Violet's hand to his chest piece. As he did so, he felt a jolt of electricity run straight through him, and then a slight pull from the Witchblade. A couple of its vine-like appendages went through his shirt and hooked themselves to the arc reactor. It was tapping into his power source for some reason, using it to amply its own power. Violet shuddered a few times, and then she lay still.

"Vi, come on, wake up, honey," Tony urged her.

Tony's personal assistant had gone and gotten a towel, dousing it with cold water. She mopped Violet's forehead with it, as the wielder came to. "Tony?!" Violet said confused.

"Hey there," he greeted her clearing blue eyes. "You okay? You gave Pepper and me quite a scare. What happened?"

"Irons used his connection with the Witchblade to try to take over my mind, I think," Violet answered, still trying to focus on Tony's face. "The Witchblade stopped him."

Pepper and Tony looked knowingly at each other, and then down at Tony's chest. "Yeah, it decided to use me to boost its strength," Tony told Violet. The Witchblade then retracted itself and settled back into its bracelet form.

"Really?" Violet said in disbelief. "You helped it save me?"

"I guess so," Tony said, liking to be the hero again. "What did it do?"

Violet's brow creased. "I'm not sure, but it seemed to force him to return to his true age. He's like a ninety year old man. I don't think he'll be around much longer."

"That's a good thing, right?" Pepper chimed in.

"It should be," Violet replied. "With him out of the picture, Vorschlag and his empire will be in turmoil for quite some time. It will take a great deal of reorganizing and restructuring. There will be many who will want his throne—Chambers included, I would think."

"Then you should be able to help Vanessa now," Pepper pointed out to Violet. "She won't be under his influence anymore, and seeing him after he's aged like that will have to make her doubt all he's told her."

"God I hope so," Violet commented, letting Tony fully embrace her now, cuddling into him.

Tony had another encouraging thought. "That means he won't be able to threaten, hunt, or hurt you anymore. If he dies, Violet, you'll finally be free of him. He won't be able to interfere with your life ever again. I think the Witchblade just did you a big favor."

Violet looked Tony in the eye for a long time and weighed his words carefully. "You're saying that I shouldn't give up on it. That I should continue to trust it. That it's really looking out for me in its own twisted and messed up way."

He laughed at her last statement. _If she only knew_ _how much the Witchblade has come to care for her, she wouldn't feel that way, _he thought to himself. Then out loud he said to her, "It chose you for a reason, Violet. There was something about you or in you that called out to it; something good and something noble. Trust in that."

Pepper eyes grew wide at the sagely advice coming out of her boss' mouth. _How did he learn such wisdom? _she wondered. His words seemed to make a deep impression on Violet, for the wielder was looking at him with astonishment and a little awe.

"You been into the fortune cookies again?" Pepper couldn't help but joke.

Tony gave her an irritated look. "No, but I read the horoscope section in the newspaper this morning," he retorted in jest.

That got a snicker out of Violet, which was music to Tony's ears. "Well, wherever it came from, you're probably right. I'll try to remember that," she told him.

"That I'm right?" Tony asked hopefully, still in a teasing mode.

"Maybe one out of ten times," Pepper ribbed him. "I think she meant about trusting in why the Witchblade picked her as its wielder, Mr. Stark."

Tony pretended to act deflated. "Oh, well that's important to remember too," he glibly admitted.

"Rosa has just informed me that the beds have been prepared for you so you all can get some rest," Jarvis' savvy British accent informed them. "You might be better off physically sleeping there than on the couch. And may I say, welcome home, sir."

"Thanks, Jarvis," Tony said and yawned. "That sounds like a fantastic suggestion. It's great to be home too. I'm glad to see that you were able to download yourself back into the house's mainframe once Rhodey returned the suit to the workshop." Then he turned to Pepper. "You're staying here at least the rest of today and tonight. I want to know that you're safe and secure after all that's happened, Miss Potts."

Pepper smiled at Tony's kind gesture. "I think I could be talked into that, Mr. Stark," she replied. "I'll stay. In fact, I might try a shower, some tea, and then be off to Slumberville, if you don't mind."

"Make yourself at home, and don't you dare try to do any work," Tony admonished her. "I'll sick Agent Coulson on you, if you do."

"As long as he's handling emails, phones calls, and busy bodies, I'll let him deal with all that stress. I do need a break," Pepper said, deciding not to argue. She really didn't think she could form coherent thoughts much longer anyway. Agent Coulson was more than capable to do her job for a day. That would make her rest easier for sure. "I'll see you two later," she added as she forced herself back up off the couch and toward the guest bedroom that was like home away from home. Tony had always been thoughtful enough to keep a room available just for her use when she was working late for him.

"That shower idea sounds mighty appealing to me too," Violet commented, still lying against Tony. "I'm afraid, however, that I might not have the strength right now to take one, by myself."

Tony didn't hesitate to take _that_ opening. "Maybe I could help. You know, I wash your back and you wash mine," he said it innocently, but the look in his eyes was anything but innocent.

"I was hoping you'd agree to that, T," she purred, turning and kissing him lightly on the lips.

"Then what are we waiting for," he said, finding a new excited energy to get him up off the couch. "Let's get going." He reached out his hand and pulled her to her feet. He kissed her as she came into a full standing position.

"Your carnal appetite never ceases to amaze me, Tony," she said with a silly smile, as he started to lead her, with his arm around her waist, to the stairs going up to the second level and his bedroom.

"Me either," he kidded, and they both laughed.

* * *

Violet decided she didn't like Three Star Lieutenant General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross. He was too hard-lined, hardcore military for her tastes. On the outside he seemed like a nice gentlemen and officer, with his tall frame, broad shoulders and chest, blonde hair and moustache that was going gray, and his cool blue eyes. Even his olive green uniform with all the stripes, pins, and colored marking was pressed and neat. However, Ross did not act nice; he was curt, condescending, judgmental, and a know-it-all. The military and being in its service was his whole life, not leaving room for much else. He was a gruff, buzzard of a man, in Violet's opinion.

_No wonder Banner is on the run from this guy. I'd want to stay as far away from him as possible too, _Violet thought to herself sitting in an Edwards Air Force Base conference room. Rhodey had suggested using his base of operations as their meeting place.

Ross had received a tip on a possible location for the Hulk-transforming Dr. Bruce Banner. Witnesses had reported seeing a green giant in the woods of Bella Coola, British Columbia, Canada a few days ago. Normally, Ross would assemble a strike team to go check the sighting out and try and capture Banner if the tip turned out to be real. Now, however, with SHIELD and Tony Stark looking over his shoulder, he had to play the game a different way.

"I think Miss Devonshire and I would have a much better chance at getting Banner to come in voluntarily than you would," Tony was telling Ross. The weapons genius had chosen to wear a charcoal-gray, pin-striped suit and tie to look stylish and like he meant business at the same time. It was a look Tony Stark knew how to pull of brilliantly.

Ross merely glared back at Tony and said nothing. While the General appreciated Stark's intellectual creativity and dependable manufacturing of stellar weapons to the military, he was wishing he had not agreed to Stark's proposal that day in the bar when he was half-way drunk. He felt like his hands were being tied behind his back; he didn't like not being in total control of an operation. Banner, as the Hulk, had exhibited some capacity to be heroic, saving lives instead of taking them, but he still had his doubts, and he wanted the secret in Banner's blood. Even though his experiment with Emil Blonsky had turned into an absolute nightmare, Ross blamed the man's character, not the science, for the chaotic mess that had resulted in the Abomination. Ross still wanted to weaponize the gamma radiation's effect on human cellular make up.

"In other words, he won't take off running when he sees someone like Miss Devonshire coming up to him. She and Mr. Stark may get a chance to talk to him, before he disappears again," Director Nick Fury piped up from his seat at the conference table. He was dressed in an all-black suit and tie to project power and strength. They were all staring at the latest satellite feeds from Bella Coola, as well as all the files on Banner and his research on various screens around the room.

Ross turned his glare on Violet, who decided not to let him intimidate her. She was wearing her all-black, bodyguard dress shirt and pants uniform with her hair up in a tight bun. The General was having problems accepting a small female was now part of the new Avenger Team. She had no military training and was a thief by profession. He didn't trust her as far as he could throw her, which probably could be pretty far; she was so petite. He also didn't understand how her bracelet could be any sort of weapon. Ross had read the reports SHILED had on some of her exploits, especially her latest one where she blew a terrorist plane out of the sky. He just couldn't understand how it was possible.

"Banner is a good man, General. You know that," Tony chimed back in. "He's a biological genius. We need him. We need the Hulk as well."

Suddenly, the Witchblade decided to come to life and join the conversation through Violet. It glowed, swirled, and whispered all throughout the conference room. For dramatic effect it even activated into the glove and gauntlet form. Violet's mind slipped into sync with it. Violet spoke with the ethereal voice of hers combined with the Witchblade's essence. "Dr. Banner is trying master his control over the primal and powerful forces within him. If you let him succeed, he will be of great benefit to mankind. If you interfere and ruin the progress he is making, he will become a menace. It _is_ possible for him to find the path to control his transformations. He needs your friendship and support, not your added aggression and violence. Be wise in how you seek him out."

Tony, who was starting to get used to the Witchblade's antics, tried not to let the smile show that was tugging at the corner of his lips. General Ross was staring at Violet, eyes wide and very surprised. Tony thought he could see some amazement mingling in the man's face too. He was glad the Witchblade was helping put Ross in his place.

"You are a patriot and warrior, Thaddeus," the Witchblade continued. "Devoted to your country, but sometimes you let your eagerness to defend it outstrip your conscience. Banner and the Hulk humiliated you in that regard, didn't they? The young doctor was just as willing as you to sacrifice everything he had to protect those he loved, but he knew there was a right and a wrong way to do it. He saw the harm and danger your experiments could cause; where you saw only a way to be better and stronger than your enemy. Allow yourself the cost of a conscience, Thaddeus Ross. You won't be sorry if you do."

The Witchblade flashed with brilliant red light, and then it deactivated. Violet came back to herself shortly thereafter. "That is the most I've heard out of that thing since I've been involved with it," Director Fury couldn't help but say.

"It knows how to pick its moments," Tony remarked with amusement.

Ross was now looking down at the floor, not meeting anyone's gaze. "It's right," he then said quietly. He didn't know how it knew what it knew, but it had struck a cord deep within him.

Tony shook his head, realizing the Witchblade had done it again. It sure knew how get people to see and admit the truth. "About what, General?" Tony asked kindly.

"That beast, that Hulk, had more of a conscience than I sometimes do," Ross replied, stilling looking downward. "I get so caught up in the process of defending this nation, I lose sight of that. The means become more important than the end." He finally looked up and cleared his throat. "We'll try it your way, Stark. I've always heard that you catch more flies with honey than vinegar anyway. The Hulk is a personification of what kind of person Banner really is, just as the Abomination was a personification of what kind of man Blonsky was. If Banner can control all that power, the benefits would be immeasurable, on and off the battlefield."

"I think you just got your go ahead, Stark," Fury announced. "As soon as we put a definite plan together, you and Violet are heading to British Columbia."

"I hear Canada is exceptionally beautiful this time of year," was Tony's glib response.

After a few more minutes of working out details and some discussion of the kind of deal Tony would be able to offer Banner if he turned himself in, the meeting came to a close. Ross gently took Violet aside for a moment, feeling the need to speak with her. "May I talk to you, Miss Devonshire?"

"Of course, General. What can I do for you?" Violet said, surprised. She thought he'd want to steer clear of her and the Witchblade.

"How did you know what I was warring with in my mind?" he inquired of her.

Violet was a little taken aback by his question, but relieved that he hadn't said it angrily. He seemed to genuinely want to know. "This thing on my wrist really is much more than a bracelet or a weapon, General. It can see into a person's heart. It must have felt that you truly are a good man to say anything at all. It usually isn't so vocal, but it must have felt that you needed to hear what it had to say. I'm finding that its counsel is worth listening to because it knows what it's talking about."

"I think I can see now why Stark likes you so much," the General told her, letting himself smile slightly. "I hope it's right about me."

"It is usually a good judge of character," Violet assured him. "Just believe in yourself."

"I'll try, Miss Devonshire; I'll try," Ross said as he turned to leave the room. "And thank you."

"You're welcome, General," she said sincerely. _Was this experience for his benefit or mine? _Violet wondered to herself. _I just said to him many of the things the Witchblade and Tony have been trying to say to me. Maybe I should trust and listen to them._

_That's all I ask, my dear sister, _the Witchblade said gently in Violet's mind. _I only want to help you, even if it may not seem like it at the time._

Tony came up to her then, from behind, and slipped his arms around her waist. "That went better than expected," he commented, nuzzling her neck. "You come in really handy, Miss Devonshire."

"It's nice to know I'm good for something," she replied, leaning back into him.

"Oh, I'd say you're good for a lot of different things," he said suggestively. "Let's get out of here and explore our options, after we take the Audi R8 out for a spin."

Violet laughed at Tony's innuendo. The man was incorrigible, but it was wonderful to feel so wanted and desired by a man that she could trust. "Sounds like fun to me," she teased him back, and together they exited the conference room.

"You know this assignment, mission, or whatever the hell you want to call it, could take a while," Tony said as they walked down the corridor leading to the reserved parking lot.

"And?" Violet prompted when Tony didn't elaborate.

"I don't think convincing Banner to be part of the Avenger Initiative is going to that easy," Tony told her. When Violet still looked confused at him, he sighed. "What I mean is this may not be a two to three day trip, or even a week one. It could take weeks, a month, or more. I just want to make sure you're okay with that, sweetheart."

Finally, Violet read between the lines. "You're afraid I might feel like running away again or something like that?"

"The thought had crossed my mind," he admitted weakly.

"With Irons no longing nipping at my heels, and you by my side, I think I'm ready to put down some roots. I love you, Tony Stark. I want to be with you. I want to be part of this Avengers thing. Who else better to convince Banner of what a good thing it is than someone coming from my perspective," Violet meant every word she said. She just hoped Tony felt the same way and wouldn't get bored with her.

As if he had read her mind, he replied, "I love you too, Vi. I want something more long term and committed for the first time in my life. I'm probably going to mess it up—big time—but I really want to make this work with you."

"I'm game if you are," Violet said with a bright smile as they located the Audi.

"I definitely am," he returned with a big grin of his own.

* * *

As the young, Asian woman stepped into the room, she could feel the essence of death in it, or at least that someone in the room was close to dying. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the gloom of the bedroom. She could hear the sounds of a respirator and heart monitor echoing throughout the confined space. Nottingham's breath was right on her neck; he was her shadow for as long as her visit lasted. She hoped it wouldn't be very long. Her employer and mentor had a deal that she didn't think could be refused.

Dr. Helmet Krauss was standing nervously at the back of the room, observing, but not interacting. He had done everything he knew how to do for Kenneth Irons. He'd tried an extra potent dose of stem cells from Sara Pezzini's frozen corpse, but nothing was helping his patient. It seemed his miracle drug no longer worked. Krauss didn't like an outsider coming in with a solution he, himself, did not have.

"Will he be able to understand me?" she asked of Nottingham.

"There is nothing wrong with his mind," the protective bodyguard snapped. "It is only his body that is failing him."

She walked forward toward the luxurious looking bed that was now doubling as a hospital bed. The figure lying in the bed was shrunken, almost a husk it was so wrinkled. IV's were hooked up to it, oxygen, the respirator, the heart monitor, and several other machines the young woman didn't know what they were. Kenneth Irons was really dying it seemed. She was surprised that he was still alive from the way he looked.

"Mr. Irons," she started out right away, wanting to get the whole exchange over with as soon as possible. "I am Mei-Ling, and I represent a certain Chinese business client that may be able to help you out of your current situation."

The figure slowly stirred at her voice, gasping for air. Then a raspy, wisp of a voice answered her. "If your client can save me from death, I'm listening," it whizzed.

"My client wants to offer you youth and continued long life, if you will give him a foothold in the American market," she explained, trying not to flinch at the thing before her.

"A foothold in the American market?" the sickly voice parroted. "Through owning part of my company, I take it?"

Nottingham was right; there was nothing wrong with the mind of the old and crippled being in front of her; he knew exactly what was going on. "Yes. My client wants a controlling interest in Vorschlag, fifty-one percent ownership to be precise. Business is picking up in China, but the communist government still limits my client's ability to grow and expand, especially in the American market."

"And if I refuse this one-sided offer?" Irons' weak voice asked.

"I hardly think it's a one-sided offer," Mei-Ling countered, shifting slightly in her uncomfortableness. "My client will save you from death and help you get your revenge against Anthony Stark. I think a little over half of your economic empire would be worth that to you."

"How do I know that your client can do what he is claiming he can do?" Irons demanded with a little more volume, trying to look at Mei-Ling.

"Just for the record, I'm stating that I think this is a very bad idea, Mr. Irons," Dr. Krauss suddenly interjected.

Irons' eyes flashed to Krauss at the back of the room, but he made no other movement; too weak to do so. "You lost your say the moment you gave up on me," he spat. Krauss drew back further and became silent once more.

Mei-Ling had been expecting this skepticism and had come prepared. "My client offers you a sample of what his biotechnology can do," she informed him. She then looked to Nottingham standing at her side, like the stone sentinel he was. "May I see his hand?"

Nottingham gently reached down and drew out a thin, pasty, shriveled arm. It was more like the arm of a skeleton than a man. "If you add to his demise, you will not leave this room alive," he threatened Mei-Ling.

She took out a small syringe. "This has a small sample of nanite technology that my client has been developing. They are microscopic machines that will seek out and repair damaged cells. They are programmed to be dormant when not needed, and then be reactivated when injury or illness is detected. May I proceed?"

Nottingham looked to his master, his worry evident in his eyes. "Let her do it, Ian," came the whispered command. Nottingham stepped back and allowed Mei-Ling to inject the substance into Irons' right hand.

Irons hissed as the smaller-than-bodily-cells robots entered his body and began their work. A few moments later, all the wrinkles became smooth again, the dark age spots faded, and the arthritic disfigured joints straighten out. His hand looked young and healthy again, and he could move his fingers with marveling dexterity. All pain and aliment was gone from them as well.

Dr. Krauss couldn't stay were he was; he had to see what had happened for himself. He rushed forward and beheld Irons' hand with the nanites in it compared to the rest of his wilted form. "Mein Gott!" he whispered in total shock, reverting to his native German tongue.

"Is that proof enough?" Mei-Ling inquired with a smug smile.

"Are there any negative side effects?" Nottingham wanted to know. Dr. Krauss turned eagerly toward Mei-Ling as well; he feared the worst.

"Not as far as my client has tested," Mei-Ling replied. "And he has done extensive testing to work out any potential problems. The nanites work and work to perfection. Of course my client's work is not sanctioned by any country or medical practice, and his work is extremely confidential."

"If your client's nanite technology cannot only keep me alive, but restore my youth and vitality on the scale of my whole body, then you can tell him we have a deal. He is welcome to become a new silent partner in Vorschlag Industries," Irons gasped out.

"A controlling, silent partner?" Mei-Ling wanted to clarify.

"Sir you cannot," Krauss tried to project some rational thinking into the discussion.

Irons seemed to grit his skull-like teeth. "Shut up, Helmet," he growled. "Yes," he finally grounded out in answer to Mei-Ling.

"My client will be most please by your acceptance, Mr. Irons," Mei-Ling said with relief. "I will have the paper work drawn up and ready to be officiated immediately, and then you'll get enough nanite material to restore your whole frame to perfect health."

"Who is your client?" Nottingham demanded. "I want to know who Mr. Irons will be beholden to."

"You can simply know him as 'The Mandarin'," Mei-Ling answered vaguely. "When he feels the time is right, he will be in more direct contact with Mr. Irons. I think this new alliance will be mutually beneficial to both parties involved. Both men want to bring down Anthony Stark and take possession of his most profitable weapons manufacturing company."

"What does your client have against Stark?" Irons managed to wheeze out.

"He wants his Iron Man suit technology to rule the continent of Asia, and eventually the entire globe," Mei-Ling said matter-of-factly. "But Stark must be removed from power before that can happen. My client feels that Mr. Irons would be a most promising partner in that regard."

"Oh, yes," Irons said with a stronger and more forceful voice. "I definitely will enjoy burning Tony Stark to the ground."

"Not all at once, however, Mr. Irons," Mei-Ling commented. "The Mandarin wants him to have a fall from grace—a very public fall from grace. The Mandarin has a plan to tear him apart a little at a time until there is nothing left of him. It will be subtle enough that Stark will never see it coming until it is too late."

"That could take a very long time, and I am not a patient man," Irons complained.

"Revenge is something that should be savored, not devoured too quickly," Mei-Ling said sagely. "In working with my client, you will have it, and be able to enjoy it more fully. That I promise you."

"We shall see," was all Irons said in reply.

~Fin

**Well, that's all folks. Don't forget to let me know what the final verdict is about this story. Even if you haven't reviewed before, please do so now. And remember to speak up if you'd like to see me write another story to go along with this one. I purposely left the ending open so I could write an additional one, if there is some interest in me doing so. You don't have to spend a lot of time, just a little opinion note would do me a world of good. Please give a bit of yourself for this last hurrah. Thanks. :)**


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